- ICE withdrew its appeal to convert two Pennsylvania warehouses into detention centers due to environmental permit denials.
- The proposed facilities in Berks and Schuylkill counties cost two hundred seven million dollars to acquire.
- Local infrastructure cannot support nine thousand detainees, as regulators cited insufficient water and wastewater capacity.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) withdrew its appeal Wednesday, July 22, 2026, ending plans to convert two rural Pennsylvania warehouses into detention centers. The agency abandoned the project after state regulators denied permits for drinking water and wastewater service.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection had rejected the permits because local infrastructure could not support the proposed populations. The facilities stood in Upper Bern Township in Berks County and Tremont in Schuylkill County.
Governor Josh Shapiro welcomed the withdrawal and said the buildings could not safely house detainees.
Free toolUSCIS Receipt Number Decoder"The warehouses are not suitable for people and converting them to detention centers would have posed serious risks to the health, safety, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities."
The planned capacity reached 9,000 detainees. Tremont would have held 7,500 people, while Upper Bern Township would have held 1,500.
| India | China | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Oct 15, 2022 | Jul 01, 2023 ▲30d | Current |
| EB-2 | Unavailable | Sep 01, 2021 | Current |
| EB-3 | Jan 01, 2014 | Jan 01, 2022 ▲10d | Sep 01, 2024 ▲31d |
| F-1 | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d |
| F-2A | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d |
The permit dispute centered on basic utilities. Tremont’s proposed operation alone would have required water for a population nearly four times larger than the township’s existing 700-household service area.
The two sites carried more than $200 million in purchase costs
The federal government bought the Berks County warehouse for $87.4 million and the Schuylkill County property for $119.5 million. Together, the acquisitions cost about $207 million.
| Facility | County | Planned capacity | Purchase price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Bern Township | Berks | 1,500 detainees | $87.4 million |
| Tremont | Schuylkill | 7,500 detainees | $119.5 million |
| Combined | Two counties | 9,000 detainees | ~$207 million |
The two properties formed part of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s $38.3 billion detention expansion plan. The Department of Homeland Security spent approximately $1.074 billion buying 11 warehouses nationwide before the program was paused.
The agency’s withdrawal followed months of opposition from state and local officials. Pennsylvania leaders argued that the centers would strain utilities, emergency medical services and law enforcement while reducing local tax revenue by nearly $2 million annually.
Mullin acknowledged that some warehouse sites might fail
Markwayne Mullin, who became DHS secretary in April 2026, paused the warehouse program last month after community criticism. He also began moving to offload at least seven of the 11 properties purchased under Noem, citing high costs and environmental unsuitability.
Mullin had already questioned the acquisition process during testimony before a House subcommittee on June 25, 2026. He said the previous strategy had not received adequate review.
“There’s some [warehouses] that just quite frankly, probably won’t work. There are some that we’re trying to make work, but there was some due diligence that maybe wasn’t actually checked off.”
The Pennsylvania projects became a focal point for a bipartisan group that included Shapiro, Senator John Fetterman and Congressman Dan Meuser. They opposed using the warehouses for detention and pressed federal officials over the costs and infrastructure demands.
Residents in Berks and Schuylkill counties also faced the prospect of expanded pressure on public utility systems and local emergency responders. The proposed buildings lacked the plumbing and residential infrastructure needed for large detention populations.
Federal officials are turning back to existing detention space
The cancellation removes the two Pennsylvania facilities from the warehouse expansion effort. It also prevents the planned placement of thousands of migrants in the industrial buildings while the federal government continues the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.
DHS has said it will focus instead on existing detention capacity operated with state and county partners. The shift follows Mullin’s decision to review the warehouse purchases and reconsider sites that require costly conversions or cannot meet environmental requirements.
The Pennsylvania decision leaves the federal government with a broader property problem. At least seven of the 11 warehouses bought under Noem’s program are now being considered for disposal, while the two Pennsylvania sites will remain in use under existing sewage planning, sewage flows and drinking water levels rather than as detention centers.
