ICE Confirms Massive New Detention Center For The Hudson Valley

ICE confirmed they are planning to turn a warehouse in the Hudson Valley into a massive ICE detention center.

The news comes days after Hudson Valley Post learned that ICE is secretly setting up an office space in another part of the Hudson Valley.

ICE Confirms Chester ICE Detention Center

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ICE is moving into a former Pep Boys warehouse in Chester that was owned by an ex-President Trump adviser.

The detention center will be used to process up to 15-hundred people.

ICE confirmed on Friday that it purchased the Orange County facility located at 29 Elizabeth Drive in the Chester Industrial Park.

ICE purchased a facility in Chester, New York. These will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards. Sites will undergo community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process to make sure there is no hardship on local utilities or infrastructure prior to purchase," ICE said in a statement.

ICE Says Facility Will Create Local Jobs, House Murderers

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ICE says the Chester, New York, facility will focus on what it calls “criminal illegal aliens,” including individuals convicted of serious crimes such as murder and rape.

"The Chester facility and its construction are expected to bring more than 1,246 jobs to the area and would contribute $153.4 million to GDP. It’s also projected to bring in more than $37.2 million in tax revenue," ICE added in its statement. "These economic benefits don’t even take into account that removing criminals from the streets makes communities safer for business owners and customers."

Backlash From Local Leaders, Residents

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The move has faced significant bipartisan opposition from local, state, and federal officials, as well as residents.

Over 20,000 community members signed a petition opposing the Orange County detention center.

The New York Immigration Coalition says New York's lawmakers must act now.

"ICE’s decision to move forward despite clear local opposition underscore the urgent need for New York to be a bulwark against the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda," the coalition said in a statement. “Every New Yorker, no matter when they arrived here, deserves to live in safety and dignity."