MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—Several politicians have publicly spoken out against what they suspect is a yet-to-be-confirmed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the Town of Newburgh near Stewart International Airport.
The federal government has leased a warehouse in Newburgh for unknown purposes. One of the requirements the government has for the space is, “A dedicated sally port/garage ... for secure access into the building for deliveries by Government vehicles, including detainee buses and vans.”
Other requirements include a well-laid-out office space, a location in a commercial office district, and not being located near educational facilities, religious facilities, or retail centers.
These requirements have led multiple local politicians to believe that the facility may be used as an ICE detention facility. There have also been protests in the city against ICE using the warehouse.
This would not be the ICE’s first show of interest in the area.
Town of Newburgh Supervisor Gil Piaquadio said in a statement on July 2 that he was made aware of the possible lease on June 30. He said the warehouse in question is a 60,143-square-foot warehouse at 800 Corporate Boulevard, across Route 17K from the Stewart International Airport.
Piaquadio said that the town has had no contact with the Department of Homeland Security or ICE about the warehouse, and that Newburgh opposes the use of any warehouse in Orange County as an immigration enforcement detention facility and will pursue legal action to prevent one from being established there.
Democratic State Sen. James Skoufis, senator for most of Orange County outside of Newburgh, voiced his concerns on July 7 that the warehouse would not have the sewage or facilities to support human occupation. “This site doesn’t seem suited to house anything but boxes.”
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), national congressman for most of Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster counties, said in a July 2 statement that the federal government awarded the lease on the Newburgh warehouse to a Texas-based developer that has been contracted by the Department of Homeland Security before. The congressman said that he strongly rejects ICE detention centers being located in the Hudson Valley.
Rob Rolison, the Republican New York state senator for Newburgh, said in a statement that he has not received confirmation regarding the warehouse being used as an ICE facility, and that he respects the town’s decision to oppose any such proposal.
“A facility like this should never be forced on a community without the full involvement of local officials and the people who live there,” he said.
The Epoch Times did not receive a response to requests for comment from County Executive Steve Neuhaus or ICE by the time of publication.
