(WBFF) — Protesters packed a Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting earlier this month, demanding to be heard as the board approved a resolution supporting the mission of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
During the meeting, officials warned attendees to keep signs down and threatened to suspend the session if disruptions continued. “If I hear one more whistle blow, I will suspend this meeting,” an official said.
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The controversy erupted following the federal government’s $102 million purchase of a large warehouse in Williamsport. There are plans to transform the building into an immigrant processing facility that would house 1,500 immigrants. The facility would be one of 16 new facilities in the country.
Washington County leaders formally backed federal immigration authorities earlier this month. However, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown had other ideas.
On Monday, Brown filed a federal complaint against the Department of Homeland Security, writing, “In their zeal to purchase and convert the Williamsport Warehouse into an immigration detention facility, Defendants have run roughshod over federal law and trampled on the State’s interests.”
The complaint accused the federal government of ignoring environmental concerns and public input on the project. Brown said the lawsuit seeks to stop work and force additional review.
“We’re asking the court to halt construction of this facility. We’re asking the court to require a proper environmental review with full public input. And we’re asking the court to declare what the administration did here was unlawful,” Brown said.
County leaders, however, insisted their ability to intervene is limited. In a statement, they wrote:
Generally, the Federal Government does not need to respect local zoning regulations that conflict with federal mandates. Washington County is not able to legally restrict the federal government’s ability to proceed.
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The county’s resolution supporting ICE passed, but the meeting ended amid loud outcry after a vote and a gavel slam.
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