Schuylkill Commissioners don't know what to do
The Tremont warehouse situation was brought up at the Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting last week.
As reported by the Pottsville Republican, Schuylkill County Commissioner Chairman Larry Padora stated about the facility:
"There is no confirmation whatsoever — no deeds recorded, no anything — that this facility is even being purchased."
Padora also said there's nothing the Commissioners can do:
"If the federal government wants to buy a building and come there, the county commissioners don’t have the power to do anything."
In a followup interview with Coal Region Canary, Padora said:
“There is no confirmation anywhere that this is coming. Everybody’s getting worked up and there’s no confirmation of this in any way, shape, or form.”
Even though there's no official info yet, an Australian company is already hiring Spanish-speaking medical workers for Tremont! (Source: usnlx.com) Here's an example:
If it's official enough for Aspen Medical to start hiring, it's definitely official enough for our Commissioners to start fighting back!
What you can do right now
Commissioner Padora thinks that there's nothing the Commissioners can do. But other towns and counties are already fighting back!
After public opposition, the owner of a warehouse in Hanover, Virginia backed out of a deal to sell the warehouse to the government.
The same thing happened in Oklahoma City.
Roxbury, NJ has passed a resolution opposing a warehouse facility there.
Contact our Commissioners
- Chair Larry Padora: lpadora@SchuylkillCountyPA.Gov
- Commissioner Boots Hetherington: bhetherington@SchuylkillCountyPA.Gov
- Commissioner Gary Hess: ghess@SchuylkillCountyPA.Gov
What to say: "Other towns are fighting against these facilities, and our Commissioners should, too. We don't need to wait. This can't wait. We don't want a detention center and we can't afford it."
Call our representatives
- Rep. Joann Stehr: (570) 653-2018
- Sen. Dave Argall: (570) 621-3400
- U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser: (570) 871-6370
- U.S. Senator John Fetterman: (570) 820-4088
- U.S. Senator Dave McCormick: (570) 941-0930
What to say: "I'm calling about the proposed ICE detention center in Tremont. Our community will lose $1 million in annual tax revenue, and this facility threatens our emergency services, our infrastructure, and our property values. I need [representative's name] to publicly oppose this facility and advocate for our county. Will [he/she] commit to stopping this?"
Share this information with your neighbors
We've seen that public pressure against these facilities can and does work. Share this information with your friends and neighbors. Have them contact our Commissioners and representatives, too!
