Gov. Shapiro promises to fight proposed ICE detention centers in Pennsylvania

by Ian Karbal, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
February 26, 2026

After meeting with local officials in Berks and Schuylkill counties  on Thursday, Gov. Josh Shapiro promised to use his office to fight proposed federal detention centers that would hold thousands of immigrants taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security.

“I’m going to do everything in my legal power and my regulatory power to see to it that these facilities are not sited here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said at a press conference. “After concluding this meeting here today, I’m even more determined … To hear from Republicans and Democrats alike expressing opposition to this, I think speaks volumes about how unwanted these facilities are in our communities.”

Shapiro declined to provide details on what legal strategy or regulatory levers his administration would use, but said to expect more details from his office in the coming weeks.

His office has mounted multiple lawsuits against the federal government since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, with Shapiro himself signing onto multiple lawsuits instead of Republican state Attorney General Dave Sunday.

Earlier this year, news spread that the Trump administration quietly bought two warehouses in Upper Bern township, Berks County, and Tremont Township, Schuylkill County. They will house 1,500 and 7,500 immigrants, respectively.

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According to Shapiro, he was told by local officials that the purchases were made in secret, bypassing input from county and municipal authorities.

It’s a strategy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has pursued across the country as they seek to ramp up their mass deportation efforts.

The move was broadly criticized by elected leaders on the state and local levels, as well as Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.

Shapiro said the warehouses have raised concerns about negative impacts on quality of life and infrastructure in the surrounding areas.

Tremont’s water system, for example, serves around 700 houses and, according to Shapiro, would need to triple its capacity to serve the proposed detention center.

While the governor says federal officials have discussed trucking water in and out, he noted that would likely take a toll on local roads, many of which only have a single lane.

“If this is built, [Tremont] will literally run out of water within 24 hours,” Shapiro said. “Let me explain what that means to the average homeowner nearby on that system. That means that they literally won’t be able to turn on the water in their kitchen and fill up a pot of water. They won’t be able to flush the toilet.”

The Schuylkill County facility is also located near a daycare, and has seen sustained opposition at local meetings.

Shapiro also raised concerns about how the detention centers could stress local healthcare and EMS systems, as well as sewer capacity.

According to Shapiro, local officials said the Trump Administration has not responded to their concerns. 

“The federal government is not answering the questions and is not providing the answers the community needs,” Shapiro said. “From the representatives of Berks County and Schuylkill County, there’s a lot of frustration – and we share this at the commonwealth level – with the secrecy around this process. They really didn’t learn about this until the deeds were filed and the deal was done, and that rendered them really powerless to stop it in that initial process.”

Earlier this month, Shapiro also wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem opposing the facilities and warning his administration may withhold permits. He said as of Thursday, he has not received a reply.

He was joined Thursday by the state Health Secretary Debra Bogen, state  Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy Walker, and Jill Whitcomb, the deputy secretary of water programs at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Shapiro also raised personal concerns he has about potential human rights abuses in detention centers, as well as what it might mean for local communities and economies to be associated with the facilities that, collectively, would compose one of the largest communities in the region.

“While that is maybe sometimes harder to quantify on a sheet of paper, I think we all want to live in communities where people enjoy laying their heads at night, enjoy going to work, enjoy going out to play or take a walk or raising their kids,” he said.

The announcement came shortly after the state of Maryland filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a detention center proposed in the state.

That lawsuit argued that the Department of Homeland Security violated federal law by refusing to consult with state officials and conduct an environmental impact study.”

According to documents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  plans to acquire and renovate 16 processing sites that hold up to 1,500 people each and eight detention centers that hold up to 10,000 each, for a total capacity of 92,600 beds. Wired reported the agency also has plans for some 150 new leases and office expansions across the country

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to questions from the Capital-Star.

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