EASTON, Pa. – A divided Northampton County Council passed a resolution to discourage property owners from selling or leasing facilities to be used for the processing or detention of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees.
The vote Thursday night was 5-3, with one abstention.
The resolution echoed a statement issued by Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski last month, in which she said supporting or facilitating immigration detention centers undermines the county’s commitment to human rights, social justice and responsible development.
Zrinski told council on Thursday she’s not aware of any properties in the county that are being eyed by ICE, but, she added, “not all of the warehouses in Northampton County are owned by people living in Northampton County. Many of them are owned by private equity organizations, and we have no power to block a real estate transaction.”
Council Vice President Jeff Warren said beyond the human rights concerns surrounding such a facility, there are questions about how it could tax community resources, such as emergency personnel, as well as local infrastructure.
“What will this do to the quality of life in our county, in other counties in Pennsylvania, if these ICE warehouses are built?” Warren said. “These are legitimate questions. These are legitimate concerns.”
The Northampton County executive issued a public letter to developers, property owners and real estate professionals.
The federal government has already purchased warehouses in Upper Bern Township, Berks County, and in Tremont Township, Schuylkill County. Berks County commissioners say they were told the Upper Bern warehouse would be used as an ICE processing facility. The Tremont Township, capable of housing up to 7,500 people, is expected to be a detention center.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has denounced the federal government’s purchase of the warehouses. Both facilities, Shapiro said, would burden the local water and sewer systems. In Tremont Township’s case, he said, the detention center could drain the community’s reservoir in a single day.
Even so, some of the Northampton County commissioners couldn’t be swayed. Those who did not vote in favor of the resolution expressed concerns about taking a stand on what property owners can and cannot do.
“Property owners have established rights under the law, and if a proposed use is permitted under zoning ordinance, and the applicant follows all the required procedures, meets all the safety and building and land development standards, and satisfies all their legal requirements, we don’t have the authority to pose that use based on our personal or our political viewpoints,” said Commissioner Theresa Fadem, who also serves as the zoning and code enforcement officer for the Borough of Hellertown.
Fadem abstained from the final vote; fellow Democrats Lori Vargo Heffner and David Holland voted no, citing reasons similar to Fadem.
Tom Giovanni, the only Republican on the panel, also voted no, saying local municipalities, and not County Council, have the final say on whether ICE would get approval to use a certain facility.
“We’re trying to be a zoning body, and we’re not,” he said.