Hagerstown is one of 16 communities nationwide targeted for ICE processing facilities as detention population hits historic levels.
Rep. April McClain Delaney confirmed Tuesday that the Trump administration is “actively moving forward” in locating a warehouse detention facility in or near Hagerstown, marking the first official confirmation of federal plans reported by The Washington Post last month.
“I learned today that the Administration is actively moving forward in finding a site,” McClain Delaney wrote on social media.
“Our congressional office is working in lockstep with our Federal delegation, state, and local officials to keep track of – and push back against – the lawlessness that ICE is inflicting on our communities.”
Hagerstown Among 16 Proposed ICE Processing Sites Nationwide
The Washington Post reported on December 24 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified Hagerstown as one of 16 potential “processing sites” in a plan to overhaul the nation’s immigrant detention system.
Under the plan outlined in draft ICE documents, these smaller facilities would hold up to 1,500 detainees for several weeks before transferring them to larger regional warehouses, each holding 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons described the administration’s vision at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix in April 2025, stating the agency needs “to treat deportations like a business” and comparing the proposed system to “like Prime but with human beings.”
Other communities identified for processing sites include locations in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Jersey, Utah, and Pennsylvania.
Local Officials Say They Have Not Been Notified
Neither the City of Hagerstown nor Washington County has received formal notification from ICE or the Department of Homeland Security regarding the proposal.
The City of Hagerstown posted on its official Facebook page on December 30 that “the government has contacted no city official for a request for warehouse space for immigration detention centers.”
Washington County Commission Vice Chair Jeff Cline, a Republican, told News Talk 103.7FM on January 6 that he hoped local zoning would block such a facility but acknowledged potential limits on local authority.
“At this time, we were hoping, or I am hoping, if such a matter does arise, that our local zoning and regulations would prohibit that,” Cline said.
“But last week, I had heard that there’s a term called the supremacy clause that the federal government could use to nix every one of our ordinances or zoning that would prohibit that.”
Maryland Law Could Present Legal Obstacle
Any ICE facility in Maryland could face legal challenges under the state’s 2021 Dignity Not Detention Act, which prohibits state and local governments from contracting with ICE for detention and bars zoning approvals for private immigration detention facilities.
The legislation passed with veto-proof majorities, overriding then-Governor Larry Hogan’s veto.
Federal authorities could argue for preemption under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, potentially overriding state restrictions.
ICE Detention Reaches Historic Levels
The Hagerstown proposal comes amid an unprecedented expansion of immigration detention.
A report released this week by the American Immigration Council found that the number of people held in ICE detention rose nearly 75 percent in 2025, climbing from roughly 40,000 at the start of the year to approximately 70,000 currently – the highest level in U.S. history.
ICE is now using 104 more detention facilities than at the start of 2025, a 91 percent increase, according to the report. Deaths in ICE detention in 2025 were the highest for any non-COVID year.
Congress authorized $45 billion for ICE detention operations over four years under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump in July 2025.
McClain Delaney Vows Opposition
In her initial December 30 statement responding to the Post report, McClain Delaney called the proposal “outrageous.”
“Hagerstown is not a dumping ground for a broken federal system – it is a proud community built on fairness, decency, and the rule of law,” she said.
“If true, this proposal is unacceptable – and I will fight it with every tool available to me.”
McClain Delaney has scheduled a meeting with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations field office in Baltimore to conduct congressional oversight.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
