A Republican state senator from Lehigh County is raising concerns about due process violations in the wake of Gov. Shapiro’s pushback to the proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers in the state.
Rep. Jarrett Coleman says a letter from Shapiro — that was also signed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection — could prejudice any future decisions about the properties.
The federal Department of Homeland Security has yet to submit any permit applications to the agency, but the state DEP has already said its plans could not work.
Shapiro says leaders in both Berks and Schuylkill counties expressed frustration when it comes to communication from Washington.
“It seems like right now, what’s being put out is, ‘You’re not going to go…this is not going to happen here,’” Coleman, who serves parts of Bucks and Lehigh counties, said. “And it seems like it’s just a pushback saying, ‘Not on my watch…’”
The DEP says its support of the letter is based on science — the same the science permitting decisions are based on.
It says information the DHS sent to Schuylkill County commissioners says it plans to hold 7,500 people at the facility in Tremont Township.