Federal authorities are abandoning plans for a proposed immigration processing facility in Merrimack, Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Tuesday morning.
Ayotte said Tuesday that she traveled to Washington, D.C., last week and had “productive discussions” with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack,” Ayotte said in a statement. “I thank Secretary Noem for hearing the concerns of the Town of Merrimack and for the continued cooperation between DHS and New Hampshire law enforcement to secure our northern border, keep dangerous criminals off our streets and ensure our communities are safe.”
A 43-acre warehouse in Merrimack had been eyed by the federal government as a potential site for a 400-600 bed ICE facility. Town officials objected, protesters repeatedly resisted it and Ayotte, who hadn’t publicly supported or opposed it, had pushed for Noem’s agency to involve local officials in conversations surrounding the plans.
Noem, in the press release, did not comment on the project but praised Ayotte for legislation that banned “sanctuary” cities and her efforts to bolster cooperation between state and federal law enforcement.
“We look forward to continuing to work together,” Noem said.
Neither Ayotte nor Noem said whether the department will seek another site in New Hampshire.
As recently as Friday, the Town of Merrimack posted online that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol had been in touch about the facility.
The turmoil over communication surrounding the facility also led New Hampshire’s federal delegation to propose legislation on Monday that would require the Department of Homeland Security to obtain local and state approval before moving ahead with new ICE processing facilities or detention centers.
The Respect for Local Communities Act, as they’ve dubbed it, would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from buying, building or operating any new ICE facility unless it obtains a signed agreement with local officials and the state’s governor. The federal government would also have to publish its plans for a 30-day public comment period.
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said she and New Hampshire’s three other members of Congress wrote the bill in direct response to confusion surrounding the proposed site in Merrimack.
“Americans are justifiably concerned as DHS moves to open secretive facilities across the country to detain thousands of individuals at a time, with little transparency or regard for the communities they’re being located in,” Shaheen said in a press release.
Under the new bill, during the public comment process, the Department of Homeland Security would need to describe the scope of its plans for a proposed facility, including how it would comply with federal standards and environmental regulations. An economic impact analysis and engineering review are also required.
Members of the federal delegation said the nationwide $38 billion “Detention Reengineering Initiative” put forth by the Trump administration oversteps local and state control.
“It is undermining our local leaders. It is eviscerating public trust. It is imperiling public safety. It is threatening economic growth. It must stop,” U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander said in a press release. “Our commonsense legislation will rein in this chaos by mandating the transparency and accountability that local communities across New Hampshire and America need and deserve over these decisions.”
The issue had become volatile for Ayotte after a top ICE official testified that the federal government had been working with her office on the location of the facility. Ayotte maintained that her questions about the facility had gone unanswered. Shortly after, her office inquired again and received documents related to the facility, which she released to the public.
Ayotte also asked for the resignation of a state official after the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources failed to notify her of an inquiry from the federal government.
A recent poll from the UNH Survey Center found Ayotte’s approval rating at the lowest point since she took office.