Construction halted again on Washington County ICE detention center amid lawsuit

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The U.S. District Court in Maryland has granted the state’s motion to halt the construction and operation of an ICE detention center in Washington County, Maryland.

The decision means that while the lawsuit challenging the project continues, federal authorities cannot continue overhauling the warehouse or begin detaining people there, according to Attorney General Anthony Brown.

The only work allowed at the site is limited to essential security and repairs needed to protect the building itself.

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Brown, who filed a lawsuit in February to stop the project, argues it is being built in violation of federal environmental and administrative laws.

“Today’s victory stops federal authorities from irreversibly damaging our waterways, our environment, and our communities before our lawsuit is even decided,” Brown said in a statement.

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Earlier in March, the court issued a temporary “stop order” to halt work briefly. Today’s ruling extends that pause indefinitely until the case is fully resolved.