ICE awards $113 million to build out Hagerstown detention center

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded a $113 million contract for the build-out and operations of a controversial proposed detention and processing center in Washington County, according to federal spending records.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-based KVG LLC received the contract Friday, according to USAspending.gov, with an end date listed as May 4, though it is unclear when the facility will be up and running. The contract contains potential future options to grow to as much as $642 million over three years.

The deal brings total federal spending on the 825,000-square-foot Williamsport warehouse to at least $215 million.

It comes less than two months after the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, purchased the facility for $102.4 million to retrofit into a detention and processing site for as many as 1,500 immigrants at once. It was originally designed as a logistics and distribution center for a big-box company like Amazon.

The site, one of dozens of warehouses around the country the federal government has purchased or is eyeing for conversion as part of its aggressive plan to increase deportations of undocumented immigrants, has sparked fierce debate nationally and across Maryland.

A DHS statement sent to the Banner late Sunday night described these kinds of warehouses as detention facilities that will meet the agency’s standards. The statement also highlighted that the agency expects the Williamsport site to create 1,125 jobs and roughly $28 million in tax revenue through construction and operations.

Washington County residents have packed county government meetings to fight it, voicing a litany of concerns over the possible impacts on local infrastructure, along with general distaste for increased immigration enforcement. Others in the mostly conservative county support it and President Donald Trump’s immigration strategy, though many have questions about whether local roads, hospitals and sewer lines in the small town can handle a sudden influx of 1,500 people.

The federal immigration agency has conducted community impact assessments at sites like Williamsport, including a review process for their potential impact on local utilities or infrastructure, according to the DHS statement.

The statement did not include an answer to a question from the Banner regarding when the agency plans to open the facility.

Last month, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown sued ICE to stop the Williamsport facility over environmental concerns. In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Brown said the administration “secretly” purchased the warehouse without consulting the state or surrounding community.

In recent weeks, residents have noticed increased activity in the area, including an influx of mostly unmarked vehicles in the parking lots and upgrades to nearby sewer line access.

A representative of KVG could not immediately be reached for comment on the deal. The Department of Defense — recently renamed the Department of War — has awarded the company numerous contracts in recent years for logistics support around the globe, ranging from transportation services to food catering and more.

The Banner has asked the company if it plans to have the facility operational for ICE by the May 4 contract deadline.