Wildly irresponsible and outrageous
In a letter to new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Senator Fetterman reaffirmed his opposition to the proposed warehouse detention centers in Tremont and Upper Bern Townships. This is Fetterman's second letter to DHS, and this time, the language is more pointed:
It is wildly irresponsible to place these burdens on these communities, and it is outrageous to expect them to work with DHS without being consulted.
The letter captures our concerns and frustrations, and calls out DHS's carelessness in purchasing these warehouses without informing or consulting our communities.
Senator Fetterman requests that DHS provides the following by May 14:
1. All relevant pre-purchase documentation for these facilities, including any documents related to site evaluation and economic impact modeling;
2. A detailed impact assessment addressing infrastructure, public safety, public health, economic development, and fiscal concerns for these communities;
3. A commitment that federal funds will cover all necessary infrastructure upgrades and ongoing costs associated with these facilities; and
4. A commitment to a period of public engagement and dialogue with these communities.
Click here to read the full letter.
We're not too optimistic that DHS will respond. (If they do, we hope they'll proofread their responses this time.) Four months have passed since DHS first communicated its intentions for the Tremont and Upper Bern warehouses. Those verbally-agreed-to payments in lieu of taxes have yet to materialize, let alone anything else of substance.
And we're supposed to believe that ICE will be able to competently convert a warehouse into a detention center that will hold more detainees than any existing facility in the US?
What you can do this week
- Call Senator Fetterman's office and thank him for continuing to fight for our communities in Schuylkill and Berks counties. Here's an example of what you can say: "I'm a Schuylkill County resident. I'm calling to thank Senator Fetterman for his April 30 letter to Secretary Mullin. Please keep fighting for our communities."
- Harrisburg office: (717) 782-3951
- DC office: (202) 224-4254
- Go to the commissioners meeting on Wednesday, May 6 at 10:00 AM. Meetings are held at the Schuylkill County Courthouse in Pottsville.
Can't make it? Submit your comment through this form and we'll find someone to read it on your behalf at the meeting. Include your name and the town you live in. You can also watch the livestream on YouTube if you can't be there in person.
