DHS and ICE began construction on a 1,500-bed Maryland detention facility without the environmental review NEPA requires

On March 6, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement proceeded, on their original schedule, with construction converting an 825,620-square-foot warehouse near Williamsport, Maryland — purchased by DHS for $102.4 million on January 16, 2026 — into a roughly $113 million, 1,500-bed detention facility, without having conducted the environmental review or public-comment period required under the National Environmental Policy Act, or considered reasonable alternatives as required under the Administrative Procedure Act. [1]

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown had already sued DHS and ICE on February 23, 2026 over the same NEPA and APA failures, challenging the warehouse purchase and conversion process; construction nonetheless began on its scheduled start date, with completion targeted for May 4, 2026. [1][2]

Updates

2026-03-10 — Maryland AG filed an emergency motion to pause construction [2][3]

Brown filed an emergency motion seeking a 14-day pause on construction, citing the unaddressed NEPA review failure, sediment-runoff risk to a nearby stream, and sewer/water infrastructure inadequate for a facility housing nearly as many people as the town of Williamsport itself.

2026-03-11 — Federal judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order pausing construction [2][4]

A federal judge sided with Maryland and temporarily blocked the conversion, finding the project likely constituted a "major Federal action" requiring an environmental impact study that had not been conducted.

2026-03-19 — Maryland AG moved for preliminary injunction; TRO extended to April 16 [4][5]

Brown filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to permanently stop the conversion while the underlying lawsuit proceeds. The court separately extended the temporary restraining order pausing construction through April 16.

2026-04-15 — Federal judge granted a preliminary injunction largely halting construction [4][6]

U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson granted Maryland's motion for a preliminary injunction, ruling that environmental injury "can seldom be adequately remedied" by damages and is often permanent. The order allows ICE to continue only limited security and protective work — a security fence, cameras, fiber optic cable, HVAC and roof repairs, and administrative-office construction — but blocks conversion of the warehouse into a detention facility while the case proceeds.