Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has urged New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte to take action against the proposed construction of a new ICE detention facility in Merrimack. The facility is situated just 11 miles from the Massachusetts border and is part of a federal plan to repurpose a warehouse into a detention center that could potentially accommodate between 400 and 600 detainees.
In a press release, Healey expressed her strong opposition to the facility, stating, “We certainly should not be allowing ICE to build new human warehouses when they can’t be trusted to keep people safe and protect due process.” Her comments were made in light of recent developments regarding the facility, including disputed claims made by ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons about whether Ayotte had been briefed on the facility’s plans. During a Senate hearing, Lyons asserted that Ayotte had received an economic impact summary, a claim that Ayotte later refuted, noting that she did not have the details until recently after her office posted relevant documents.
Among the documents released was a detailed overview of a broader federal initiative, which involves a budget of $38.3 billion aimed at expanding the country’s immigrant detention network. This initiative includes plans to build large-scale detention centers, each capable of holding up to 10,000 detainees and implementing a range of processing facilities, including one in Merrimack designed to hold individuals for up to seven days.
The planned Merrimack facility is located at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway, a 324,000-square-foot warehouse situated in an area primarily designated for industrial and technological use. Promotional materials previously circulated for the property describe it as an “industrial environment designed to support a range of users, from logistics and distribution to advanced manufacturing,” raising concerns about its suitability for a detention center.
As debates continue over the implications of this facility, Ayotte’s office has yet to provide further commentary on the situation. Healey’s calls for action reflect broader public sentiment against the expansion of immigrant detention facilities, which many view as detrimental to both communities and the individuals affected.