A pair of Pennsylvania warehouse properties that drew attention earlier this year when they were bought by the federal government as future immigration detention centers are back on the market.
In late January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased warehouses in Upper Bern Township in Berks County and Tremont Township in Schuylkill County. They were among several similar properties across the country that the federal government boughtas part of an effort to increase immigration enforcement.
The Berks warehouse, a 527,000-square-foot building at 3501 Mountain Road, was purchased for $87.4 million. Officials from ICE had said it would be renovated to hold 1,500 people as a processing center.
The Schuylkill warehouse, a 1.3-million-square-foot former Big Lots distribution center at 50 Rausch Creek Road, was purchased by ICE for $119 million and was expected to house up to 7,500 people as a detention center.
ICE is selling the former Big Lots Tremont Distribution Center at 50 Rausch Creek Road in Tremont Township that it planned to use as an immigration detention center. (Pottsville Republican)
The purchase of the properties and the announcement of their intended uses drew pushback from the communities in which they reside, as well as from state officials including Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Among opponents’ concerns were that the influx in population they would create would strain water and sewer systems and create difficulties for local fire and police departments. Some opponents also objected to the reported conditions at existing ICE facilities.
Those opposed to the plans readied for a fight. But one never materialized.
In June, The New York Times reported that both sites were among seven included on a list of properties set to be offloaded by ICE following the departure of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Officials from DHS did not directly address the sites in Berks and Schuylkill in a response to questions from the Reading Eagle. Instead, they issued a short statement saying the agency is focused on existing detention sites.
And now, the seven sites identified in the Times report — including the ones in Upper Bern and Tremont — have officially been put up for sale.
The federal government has enlisted the help of Cushman & Wakefield to list the sites.
The commercial real estate services company is marketing the properties through a website called the Federal Warehouse Portfolio, offering the seven buildings separately or as a package.
The listing describes the buildings as vacant bulk distribution facilities, with six of the seven built since 2018. It markets them as state-of-the-art buildings with expansive truck courts, abundant parking and functional configurations designed to accommodate a broad range of logistics and distribution companies.
It says the properties will be delivered free and clear of existing financing. Asking prices for the properties are not included on the website.