(NewsNation) — A Pennsylvania official is reportedly moving to terminate a lease agreement between Lehigh County and the Department of Homeland Security, which had been renting office space used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement but failed to pay rent for more than three years.

Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said he is ending the agreement and DHS “should consider themselves evicted,” according to a statement obtained by CBS News. “The department’s failure to pay rent, combined with DHS’s national reputation for recklessness, chaos, and public disorder, warrants ending any relationship with the County. We will not accept their blood money.”

Emails obtained by Newsweek revealed that the county’s Hamilton Financial Center building has been used by Homeland Security Investigations, a subdivision of ICE, since 2022 without a fully executed lease agreement.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley confirmed to NewsNation that the county has been left with more than $115,000 in uncollected revenue, adding, “This should never have happened.”

Trump’s credit card rate cap could backfire on consumers: Financial adviser

Pinsley said the agreement was signed in late 2022. He later discovered that the federal official who signed it allegedly lacked the authority to do so. Despite that, federal agents continued occupying the space.

According to Newsweek, the lease arrangement began with a Memorandum of Agreement signed by HSI Special Agent in Charge William Walker on Oct. 31, 2022. The MOA was intended to cover a 10-month term and be followed by a standard lease, but the lease was never fully executed.

County officials say no rent payments were ever recorded, and the Fiscal Office never received a fully executed contract.

Pinsley said his office only recently became aware of the issue after a routine audit showed no lease revenue in the county’s financial system.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.