A group opposed to the federal government’s plan to convert a warehouse in Berks into an immigration detention center will host a town hall Sunday.
ICE Out Upper Bern, an organization created by local residents who oppose the effort, is hosting the informational session at the Shartlesville Fire Company, 5636 Old Route 22, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Deborah Miller, chairwoman of the group, said the purpose of the gathering is to bring the community together to learn more about the plan by the Department of Homeland Security to use a warehouse in Upper Bern Township to hold 1,500 people as an ICE processing center.
The 527,000-square-foot building at 3501 Mountain Road is one of 23 sites across the country ICE has tapped to become warehouse-based immigration detention centers. It was purchased in late January by the federal government for $87.4 million.
If the plan proceeds, Miller said, it will deprive local communities of critical tax revenue, place unsustainable demands on local infrastructure, disrupt the daily lives of local residents, overwhelm emergency services, create traffic issues and lead to declining property values for its neighbors.
The event will feature a question-and-answer session followed by speakers. Those speakers will include Berks County Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr. and environmental activist Gene Stilp.
Miller stressed that the event is nonpartisan and intended to be peaceful. Protesting inside or outside the venue is discouraged.