STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A historic Staten Island site may be under consideration by ICE to hold detained immigrants, raising concern among local officials.
Federal authorities have reportedly considered using the Fort Wadsworth Coast Guard facility, a former military installation overlooking New York Bay, as a site to temporarily detain immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the New York Times is reporting.
ICE officials visited the base last week to assess its suitability, the Times reported. It remains unclear if ICE will proceed with the plan. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, declined to comment to the Times.
For now, the future of Fort Wadsworth as a potential detention site remains uncertain, with local officials raising concerns over its possible use.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told SILive.com that her concerns have been shared with Trump officials, citing the site’s strategic importance for U.S. Coast Guard operations and its historical significance.
“The site is not suitable to house migrants,” Malliotakis, a Republican who represents Staten Island and part of Brooklyn, said. “We’ve made this very clear, both publicly and privately, and we do not anticipate any such plans.”
The U.S. Coast Guard in New York had not returned requests for comment by SILive.com at the time of publication.
In 2023, Malliotakis publically opposed using Fort Wadsworth to shelter migrants when the Biden administration, state and city officials considered opening an emergency shelter for thousands of migrants arriving in New York City.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and other local elected officials gather at the gate of Fort Wadsworth to note their disapproval of the choice of this site and other sites to house migrants on Staten Island on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
Currently, most immigrants arrested by ICE in NYC are processed at the agency’s office in Lower Manhattan and then transported to jails and detention facilities in New Jersey, upstate New York or Pennsylvania. The city has no long-term ICE-run detention centers.
Fort Wadsworth, a 226-acre federal property, is currently home to U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Park Police housing and offices.
According to the New York Times, ICE has been steadily expanding its detention capacity in the New York region this year, including arrangements to hold more than 100 detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, up to 50 for short periods at Nassau County jail on Long Island, and a 1,000-bed facility across the Hudson River in Newark. The agency also has contracts with several county jails in upstate New York.
NYC has not had a major immigration detention center since 2010, when ICE closed the Varick Street Detention Facility, which had held as many as 250 immigrants above a Greenwich Village post office.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.