UPPER BERN — In late February, Gov. Josh Shapiro criticized the Trump administration for purchasing “secret ICE facilities … without giving any notice to the local community or to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
However, letters obtained by Spotlight PA show a state agency learned about the warehouse plans as early as Jan. 9 — nearly a month before the deeds were recorded publicly and reported on by news outlets.
The Department of Homeland Security sent the letters to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to “initiate consultation” about warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. The commission is an independent agency whose governing members are appointed by the governor.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro said the commission made the administration aware of the letters “within days of the Tremont and Upper Bern property deed signings, which were the last step in the secretive process undergone by DHS to purchase these facilities.”
“The Governor’s Office does not direct PHMC’s or the State Historical Preservation Office’s review processes,” the spokesperson said. “DHS has still not communicated about its plans with the Shapiro Administration.”
The spokesperson did not answer questions about the exact timing of when Shapiro’s office learned about the letters. However, a source close to the administration told Spotlight PA it was shortly before the deeds were signed — on Jan. 15 in Schuylkill County and Jan. 26 in Berks County.
“By the time the Governor's Office was made aware of each letter, the agreements would have already been complete,” the source said.
Under the National Historic Preservation Act, federal agencies must review projects to see if they will affect historic properties. That’s why DHS and ICE reached out to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
In the letter dated Jan. 9, ICE outlined its plan to convert a Tremont warehouse into a detention center, referred to in the document as “New ICE Philadelphia Mega Center.” The agency said the interior of the warehouse may be “renovated or rebuilt” to include processing spaces, office space, health care spaces, bathrooms, and cafeterias.
Some of the exterior changes to the former Big Lots distribution center may include painting, repairing or replacing the roof, and adding security equipment. ICE said it determined that the planned renovations would result in “No Historic Properties Affected.”
In the other letter, dated Jan. 21, ICE describes its plans for the former Hamburg Logistics Center in Upper Bern Township, which is referred to as “New ICE Philadelphia Processing Center.” The planned renovations are similar to those planned for the Tremont site.
The agency noted some “historic-age resources” near the Berks County warehouse, including a mobile home community not subject to preservation protections and an estimated pre-1875 farm complex that ICE says shouldn’t be adversely affected.
Jay Losiewicz, communications director for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, said the agency has not completed its review of ICE’s proposed modifications to the warehouses.
The commission has requested additional information from ICE to better understand the projects’ potential to affect historic properties, and to provide an opinion on ICE’s “No Adverse Effect” and “No Historic Properties Affected” findings, Losiewicz said.
“The PHMC’s role is to advise the agency and may disagree, but ultimately the finding under Section 106 is the responsibility of the federal agency,” Losiewicz said.
Berks and Schuylkill County leaders, as well as Upper Bern Township officials, have said they had no prior knowledge of ICE’s plans for the warehouses until the deeds were filed on Feb. 2.
Officials from both counties met with Shapiro last week and raised concerns about property tax revenue losses and whether local water and sewage systems could support the planned mass detention facilities.
Groups of residents have rallied to oppose the planned ICE facilities and called on local and state officials to take stronger action to block the developments. Shapiro has vowed to use “every tool at his disposal” to stop the detention centers, though he has declined to provide more details about those plans.
The National Historic Preservation Act is not the only federal law ICE needs to follow to convert the warehouses. In a memo, ICE said it would comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects.
“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 previously said in a statement.
However, the agency has not answered any specific questions about whether it has conducted environmental impact assessments for its planned immigration detention facilities.