Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration has outlined a lengthy list of arguments against a proposed immigration detention warehouse in Washington County, with three cabinet secretaries sending a letter to federal authorities.

The 10-page letter sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday details concerns over environmental impacts and lack of infrastructure at the site of the 825,000-square-foot warehouse the federal government bought in Williamsport, a town just outside Hagerstown. The federal government plans to convert the warehouse into a 1,500-bed facility to detain people suspected of immigration violations.

The letter was signed by Josh Kurtz, secretary of natural resources; Serena McIlwain, secretary of the environment; and Kathryn Thomson, acting secretary of transportation.

The secretaries wrote they have “serious concerns that ICE is proceeding with this project in a secretive and rushed manner” that will have negative effects on Maryland.

Advertise with us

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday morning.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, with Moore’s backing, had already filed a lawsuit in federal court in an attempt to block the project, citing similar concerns.

“In their zeal to purchase and convert the Williamsport warehouse into an immigration detention facility, defendants have run roughshod over federal law and trampled on the State’s interests,” the lawsuit reads. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the lawsuit was not about the environment, but “about trying to stop President Trump from making America safe again.”

Moore, a Democrat, had previously directed state agencies to review all aspects of the project for compliance with state laws and effects on Marylanders.

The letter from the cabinet secretaries alleges insufficient information and public notice about the warehouse center detention plans. As a result, it’s impossible to fully gauge the impacts of the project, the secretaries wrote.

Advertise with us

Among the missing information: engineering specifications, estimates of water and wastewater flows, estimates of traffic volumes.

Even without that data, the cabinet secretaries flagged negative impacts.

Runoff from the property could raise the water temperature and introduce pollutants to sensitive streams and rivers nearby, harming fish and other aquatic life, they wrote. The waterways are home to two state-level endangered species of mussels that could be harmed, as well as other vulnerable species of fish, mollusks and amphipods.

The secretaries also wrote that the project might require upgrades to the sewer system, as a detention center would produce significantly more wastewater than a warehouse would.

Heating systems and backup generators may need state permits, too, the secretaries wrote. And they said it’s unknown how much traffic might go to and from the facility.