MANCHESTER, N.H.- Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are reportedly working on a plan in which the department would use warehouse space in the town of Merrimack to process up to 1,500 detainees.
According to the plan published in documents obtained by the Washington Post the department would renovate industrial warehouses such as storage buildings or shipping facilities so they could be retrofitted to include bathrooms, kitchens, dining areas, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, a law library, administrative offices and medical facilities.
According to the draft plan the Merrimack location would be one of 16 national processing sites with 500 to 1,500 beds in smaller warehouses.
Other processing sites have been proposed for New York, Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Jersey, Utah, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
When asked for comment on the matter State Sen. Tim McGough of Merrimack told the Union Leader via email Thursday, that at the moment town and state officials have received very little information and it’s “far too early to draw any conclusions” about how a processing site might affect Merrimack”….McGough went on to write ” If anything of this nature were to be formally proposed, Merrimack’s local officials including town administration, law enforcement, the Planning Board, and Town Council would operate within the law and in accordance with all applicable planning, zoning and regulatory requirements, and I am confident that the town would also ensure appropriate transparency and public notice as required.”
McGough also noted that public safety would be “paramount.“
