In late December, The Washington Post leaked information regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) alleged plans to convert warehouses across the country into detention centers, including a location in Merrimack, New Hampshire. After the release of these documents, hundreds of people gathered outside Merrimack town hall to protest an ICE facility being developed in the town. In late January, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte told reporters that when her team asked the Department of Homeland Security about plans for the detention center in Merrimack, they received no confirmation or response.
A month after the Washington Post article, on Feb. 3, ACLU-NH made public federal correspondence regarding the facility in Merrimack, N.H. ACLU-NH obtained these documents on Feb. 2 via a right-to-know request. The documents, a series of letters, detail correspondence between ICE and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources regarding ICE’s interest in purchasing and modifying a 43-acre warehouse property in Merrimack, N.H.
The Merrimack Town Council sent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem a letter objecting to the facility being proposed in their town, citing that it would have financial impacts and cause unrest among residents. On Feb. 2, the town posted the federal agency’s response to their opposition on their website:
“Currently, ICE ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] is reviewing its detention structure and acquisition strategy to address a historic operational tempo and increasing arrests. These efforts aim to meet the growing demand for bedspace across the United States and to streamline the detention and removal process, focusing on facilities built specifically to support ICE’s needs. Due to the heightened threat environment, and the unprecedented opposition being thrown up by the Left against ICE’s efforts to effectuate mass deportations, ICE is unable to share details about any upcoming expansion in New Hampshire or elsewhere. ICE has no new detention centers to announce at this time”.
According to the correspondence released by ACLU-NH, ICE sent a letter to the New Hampshire State Historic Preservation Office dated Jan. 9 to “...initiate consultation on a proposed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) undertaking.” The New Hampshire Division of Cultural Resources, on Jan. 21, responded with a letter stating that “...no known historic resources appear to be affected by the project”, essentially green-lighting the project.
When ACLU-NH released correspondence between DHS and the New Hampshire Division of Cultural Resources, Governor Ayotte stated that she was not made aware of these developments by the New Hampshire agency.
“It is entirely unacceptable that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources failed to share this information with the Governor’s office,” said John Corbett, spokesperson for Governor Ayotte, in a statement.
On Monday, Feb. 9, New Hampshire Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart resigned at the request of Governor Ayotte. Stewart, nearing the end of her term, had planned to retire in June. Stewart’s resignation comes nearly a week after the right-to-know request and confirmation of the warehouse plans in Merrimack. As the Department Commissioner, Stewart took responsibility for the agency's lack of transparency with Governor Ayotte.
Despite protests and opposition, the project appears to be proceeding. State representative Wendy Thomas told reporter William Skipworth at The New Hampshire Bulletin that she, along with several of her colleagues, has seen several vehicles traveling through the town of Merrimack, and alleged that they are related to development at the proposed ICE facility.
The documents above include ACLU-NH's right-to-know request and the correspondence between the Department of Homeland Security and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.
Credit: ACLU-NH
