A federal judge ordered a 14-day pause on the Trump administration’s construction of a 1,500-bed immigration detention facility near Williamsport, Maryland also referred to as the Hagerstown ICE detention center, ruling the administration likely failed to conduct required environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
What happened
In a ruling released Thursday, a federal judge sided with Maryland and temporarily blocked the conversion of a privately owned warehouse in Washington County into a mass immigration detention center. The judge found that the roughly $100 million renovation project — which includes security fences, a checkpoint, exterior lighting, and sewer modifications to support up to 1,500 detainees — likely constitutes a “major Federal action” requiring an environmental impact study under federal law.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed the emergency motion on Tuesday, following a lawsuit the state brought in February challenging the purchase and planned conversion. Construction had been scheduled to begin March 6 and finish by May 4.
“Federal immigration authorities are barreling past their legal obligations in an effort to build an immigration detention facility as quickly as they can. Once construction begins, the damage to Maryland’s waterways, protected species, and communities cannot be undone.” — AG Anthony Brown
The state argued that sewage construction work could pollute Semple Run, Conococheague Creek, and the Potomac River, and pose risks to several rare and endangered species in the area.
Why it matters
The Trump administration had awarded more than $100 million to renovate the facility, with work slated to run from March 6 through May 4, 2026.The Williamsport facility is a flashpoint in the broader collision between the Trump administration’s accelerated deportation apparatus and state-level resistance — a dynamic playing out across the DMV region. Maryland has positioned itself as one of the most aggressive states in pushing back on federal immigration enforcement, with AG Brown filing suit before a single wall was modified.
For DMV residents, the case raises direct questions about how federal immigration infrastructure gets built in their backyards — and whether environmental and community safeguards apply equally when national security is invoked. Washington County leaders publicly supported the ICE facility, creating a visible urban-rural divide within Maryland on immigration enforcement.
The 14-day pause is temporary, but it forces the government to answer the court’s environmental concerns before proceeding.
What’s next
The court will use the pause to consider Maryland’s broader legal challenge. If the judge finds the government violated the National Environmental Policy Act, construction could face much longer delays or require a full environmental review — a process that can take months. DHS and ICE are expected to argue the project is necessary for national security and within their legal discretion, despite Maryland’s environmental objections. Maryland’s congressional delegation has also weighed in with a letter opposing the facility.
