SCHUYLKILL HAVEN – After last Tuesday’s 9th Congressional District Debate, Republican Congressman Dan Meuser called federal plans for detention centers in western Schuylkill and northern Berks “a mistake” and said he is “fighting like mad” to recoup lost tax revenue because of them.
The Department of Homeland Security purchased the former Big Lots distribution center at Rausch Creek and another warehouse near Hamburg to be used as detention centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those plans were later scrapped after fierce local opposition and concerns from local officials.
“It looks like it was a big mistake on Homeland’s part to buy those,” Meuser said. “The secretary was relieved of her duties, not just for that but for a combination.”
He credited the advocacy of Republican County Commissioners Larry Padora and Barron ‘Boots’ Hetherington in “exposing to [Homeland Security] that [the warehouses] aren’t going to work.”
At Rausch Creek, Tremont Township, the Pine Grove Area School District, and Schuylkill County stood to lose a combined nearly $1 million in tax revenue.
Asked by a Coal Region Canary reporter if there is a chance the communities could see that revenue return, Meuser said he “is fighting like mad.”
“Over my dead body aren’t we going to,” Meuser said. “I’m telling them, there’s no way we’re going to take a hit. We’re already taking hits in a lot of different ways, we’re not going to take this hit.”
Meuser sparred with Democratic challenger Rachel Wallace in the only debate of the campaign and, while a wide variety of topics were covered, the detention centers did not come up during the debate itself.
About Author
Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home. She is a 12-time Keystone Media Award winner, a PAB Excellence in Broadcasting award winner, and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award.
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