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The federal government has abandoned plans to turn two warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties into immigration detention centers. Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the move Wednesday, citing letters from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security dated July 13 that withdrew its request for drinking water and sewage permits.
The DHS had announced plans in January to house 9,000 people at the former warehouses in rural Pennsylvania. The letters do not indicate how the two properties would be used.
Shapiro had opposed the conversion of the facilities into detention centers because of the large volume of water needed, which he said would have impacted local residents and the environment.
“From the beginning, I’ve been clear that these warehouses should not be used as ICE detention centers because they 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,” Shapiro said in a statement. “My Administration stood with local leaders and residents, enforced Pennsylvania law, and worked across agencies to protect people from being held in these warehouses and to protect the surrounding communities.”