DHS drops plan to build ICE facilities in PA, Mullin says he has ‘real good relationship’ with Josh Shapiro
“We have a real good relationship. We talk about everything, really,” Mullin
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“We have a real good relationship. We talk about everything, really,” Mullin
The Department of Homeland Security has dropped plans to convert two warehouses in Pennsylvania into ICE facilities. In the wake of these plans falling through, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said that he has a “real good relationship” with Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro announced in late July that the DHS had dropped its appeals of state orders that had blocked the agency from using sewer and water infrastructure that was needed to convert the warehouses, located in Berks and Schuylkill counties, into detention centers, per NBC 10.
"From the beginning, I’ve been clear that these warehouses should not be used as ICE detention centers because they are not suitable for people and converting them to detention centers would have posed serious risks to the health, safety, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities," said Shapiro. "My Administration stood with local leaders and residents, enforced Pennsylvania law, and worked across agencies to protect people from being held in these warehouses and to protect the surrounding communities.”
NBC 10 obtained a deed in February showing that DHS had purchased a warehouse in Upper Bern Township for $87.4 million the month prior. The facility would have housed up to 1,500 people. A warehouse was also purchased in Tremont Township, Schuylkill County for $120 million that would have held up to 7,500 people.
Shapiro had said at the time that he would do everything within his power to stop the plans, expressing concerns about wastewater and water services in these areas and whether they would be able to hold up to such an increased demand.
In a July 13 letter, DHS told the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that it “has considered the final use it will make of this property, and it hereby informs DEP that it will not be using this property as a detention center.”
Mullin told Politico around a week after the canceled plans were revealed that he has a good relationship with the Democrat governor. “We have a real good relationship. We talk about everything, really,” he said.
Shapiro said of Mullin, “He was responsive. We worked together constructively. We worked together discreetly.”
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