On Feb. 23, 2026, Maryland Attorney General, Anthony Brown, filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration’s construction of a massive federal immigration detention center in Washington County, Maryland.   

On Jan. 16, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) purchased a 54-acre warehouse just outside of Williamsport for $102.4 million. The property was built between 2021 and 2023 as a commercial facility with 825,620 square feet of warehouse space, minimal office facilities, and only four toilets and two water fountains. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal government intends to convert this industrial warehouse into a detention center capable of housing 1,500 people at a time. Converting a warehouse designed for commerce into a detention center raises grave concerns that individuals detained at this new facility would face inhumane conditions and inadequate access to medical care, as has been reported in other ICE detention facilities.  

The lawsuit challenges DHS and ICE’s actions in purchasing a warehouse near Williamsport for conversion into an immigration detention facility – a major federal project, conducted behind closed doors, and without the requisite environmental review, public participation, or state consultation. The lawsuit further alleges that DHS and ICE violated the Administrative Procedure Act by providing no explanation for their decision, failing to consider reasonable alternatives, and abandoning their own past practice of conducting environmental reviews for similar detention facility projects – all without any reasoned justification. AG Brown asked the court to prevent the administration from converting the warehouse into an immigration detention facility.  

The Trump Administration will stop at nothing to pursue its extreme immigration agenda – including breaking the law. DHS purchased this facility while keeping the State and the public in the dark, spending more than $100 million in federal taxpayer dollars without performing the required environmental review and without giving Maryland or Marylanders any voice in the process. We will not allow this Administration to treat laws like suggestions and threaten our people or their communities.Attorney General Anthony Brown