1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to halt the construction and operation of the immigration detention facility at 16220 Wright Road in Hagerstown, Maryland. The federal government purchased this 825,000-square-foot warehouse for $102.4 million with the deed recorded on January 16, 2026, intending to detain 1,500 people as part of a broader network of 23 facilities with combined capacity exceeding 80,000 people. This project has proceeded without transparency, community input, or accountability. Washington County officials did not receive DHS notification until January 14, 2026, yet ICE had already documented the County's lack of comment in internal reports dated January 12. The deed was recorded on January 16, despite county officials publicly maintaining on January 23 that DHS had not notified them of any purchase. This timeline reveals a deliberate circumvention of local engagement. The facility faces critical infrastructure failures that threaten public safety. The warehouse was allocated only six Equivalent Dwelling Units for water, appropriate for a logistics hub but grossly inadequate for 1,500 people. The city of Hagerstown has indicated it lacks capacity for this project, yet federal officials may drill wells or truck water in without addressing building code compliance or safety standards for detention facilities. The design contract awarded to KPB Services LLC, a subsidiary of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, has collapsed following tribal opposition. Tribal Chairman Joseph "Zeke" Rupnick condemned the contract in December 2025, stating that "Indian reservations were the government's first attempts at detention centers" and questioning why the tribe would participate in something mirroring historical trauma. The $29.9 million contract was awarded as a sole-source deal just below the $30 million threshold that would trigger more stringent federal reporting requirements. Local governance has broken down entirely. Public comment periods have been suspended, eliminating any avenue for constituents to voice concerns. I urge you to demand a full halt to this project, require genuine community engagement, and conduct comprehensive infrastructure and safety assessments before any detention facility proceeds.