Timeline

A chronological record of public developments regarding the proposed ICE processing facility in Washington County—newest first. Scroll to reveal each entry. Dates in the future are highlighted with a countdown.

  1. April 15, 2026 · 9:00 a.m.

    Federal court hearing: Maryland AG lawsuit to stop Williamsport ICE facility

    Where: U.S. District Court, Baltimore — 101 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 (map)

    Hearing in Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s lawsuit against DHS over the Williamsport processing and detention facility. The case was originally filed February 23, 2026. The court issued a temporary restraining order halting construction; HRR has been monitoring to help ensure work stays within that order. The TRO remains in effect through April 16—the day after this hearing.

    Hagerstown Rapid Response and Washington County Indivisible have worked to speak out and to provide evidence for this case over the last several months.

  2. April 8, 2026

    Hagerstown Regional Airport terminal expansion announced

    Washington County Government announced the “groundbreaking of a new terminal expansion project at Hagerstown Regional Airport,” with a stated cost of $5.1 million.

  3. April 2, 2026

    DHS tells court it will not “imminently” pursue Williamsport retrofit

    In a federal court filing, DHS stated it would no longer be “imminently” pursuing the retrofit of the Williamsport warehouse for detention purposes, as part of an effort to advocate for lifting the current stop order.

  4. March 31, 2026

    BOCC postpones vote on sheriff PPE purchase

    The Board of County Commissioners postponed its vote on an “Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchase (INTG-26-0228) – Personal Protective Equipment for Sheriff’s Department” on account of “need[ing] a revision.”

  5. March 30, 2026

    BOCC agenda includes large sheriff PPE purchase

    The agenda for the BOCC meeting scheduled for March 31, 2026, included an item on an “Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchase (INTG-26-0228) – Personal Protective Equipment for Sheriff’s Department” (pages 211–213).

    The purchase was quoted to exceed $94,000 and to include items such as solo shields; interlocking shields; 24-inch batons; protective guards for the shoulders, arms, elbows, groin, knees, shins, and related areas; helmets; and flame-resistant coveralls (pages 214–219).

  6. March 23, 2026

    Delaney and Moore host closed round table

    Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Governor Wes Moore hosted a round table with handpicked community leaders. The meeting was not open to the public and notably excluded key organizers from Hagerstown Rapid Response.

  7. March 19, 2026

    Temporary restraining order extended

    An extension of the TRO halting construction at the Williamsport facility was granted, valid through April 16, 2026.

  8. March 18, 2026

    County update after virtual meeting with DHS

    Washington County Government officials provided an update following their virtual meeting with DHS, detailing the project scope for the warehouse facility.

  9. March 16, 2026

    Closed virtual meeting with DHS; no minutes

    Washington County Government officials held a virtual meeting with DHS regarding the ICE processing facility. The meeting occurred behind closed doors, with no public notice until after it had begun. When constituents requested minutes, County officials maintained that none had been kept.

  10. March 11, 2026

    14-day TRO halts construction

    A Temporary Restraining Order that would halt construction activities at the Williamsport facility was granted for a 14-day period.

  11. March 9, 2026

    Portable restrooms delivered

    The first delivery of multiple eight-stall portable restrooms was observed at the warehouse.

  12. March 7, 2026

    Job postings on Indeed for Williamsport facility

    The first job postings for the Williamsport Processing Facility appeared on Indeed through staffing agency Anovaeon LLC.

  13. March 6, 2026

    Over $113 million retrofit contract to KVG

    A contract in excess of $113 million was awarded to KVG, LLC of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for retrofitting the Williamsport warehouse into a “processing and detention facility.”

  14. March 1, 2026

    Fleet of DHS vehicles at warehouse

    Early in the morning, a fleet of 53 DHS vehicles was discovered to have arrived at the Williamsport warehouse overnight.

  15. February 24, 2026

    Commissioner Derek Harvey resigns

    Washington County Commissioner Derek Harvey abruptly resigned. Leading up to this, Commissioner Harvey had been notably absent from the BOCC’s public meetings for the entirety of 2026; attendance is reflected in BOCC minutes as public records.

  16. February 23, 2026

    Maryland Attorney General sues DHS

    Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a lawsuit against DHS seeking to prohibit further construction of an unlawful ICE detention center in Washington County.

  17. February 11, 2026

    County requests $381M; invites Trump, Vance, and Noem

    Michelle Gordon, Washington County Administrator, addressed an email to President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem requesting $381 million in federal funding to upgrade local infrastructure in support of operating the proposed ICE detention center (pages 21 & 22). The email also included a formal invitation for those officials to meet personally with Washington County’s administration.

  18. February 10, 2026

    100+ at BOCC protest; limited access; unanimous vote and recess

    More than 100 residents came to protest at the Washington County Board of County Commissioners’ meeting on the proposed ICE detention facility at 16220 Wright Road in Williamsport.

    The county commissioners restricted access to the meeting, allowing only about 20 of more than 120 people inside, citing concerns “from the fire marshal.”

    After a unanimous vote and resulting uproar, John Barr called a recess, directed law enforcement to “clear the room,” and commissioners left through a back exit. Coverage including video of the vote is on our blog.

  19. February 9, 2026

    BOCC revises agenda to endorse ICE facility

    The Washington County BOCC abruptly revised the agenda for its February 10, 2026 meeting to include a statement of collective endorsement for the proposed ICE detention center (pages 3 & 4).

  20. February 3, 2026

    Protest at first BOCC meeting after county statement

    The BOCC held its first meeting following the county’s public statement on the facility. An organized protest with more than 100 participants coincided with the meeting. The County Commissioners did not acknowledge the ICE facility or allow public comment.

    One person was arrested at the protest and charged with second-degree assault.

  21. January 28, 2026

    County press release on DHS warehouse review

    Washington County’s Public Relations and Marketing Department notified the public that DHS was analyzing the potential purchase of the warehouse at 10900 Hopewell Road (also known as 16220 Wright Road) to establish a “new ICE Baltimore Processing Facility” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

    The press release claimed that the DHS letter dated January 12, 2026 was the first notice the County received of DHS/ICE’s intention to operate a detention center. The release was published two full weeks after receipt of the letter, with no stated reason for the delay.

    The release stated that “DHS has not notified Washington County that a purchase has taken place,” though the property had transferred to DHS six days earlier.

    The County announcement also said that “DHS communicated that the undertaking results in a finding of No Historic Properties Affected.”

  22. January 22, 2026

    $102.4 million transfer: FRIND Hopewell LLC to DHS

    The transaction between FRIND Hopewell LLC (grantor) and DHS (grantee) was recorded for $102.4 million (Liber 7846, Folio 98).

  23. January 20, 2026

    Downtown Hagerstown protest

    A protest was held in downtown Hagerstown opposing the proposed ICE detention center. Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Senator Chris Van Hollen attended.

  24. January 14, 2026

    County officials allegedly receive DHS letter

    Washington County Government officials allegedly received the January 12 letter from DHS described below.

  25. January 12, 2026

    ICE at Hagerstown warehouse; DHS letter on Hopewell Road parcel

    ICE visited the Hagerstown warehouse.

    Gabrielle Fernandez of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a letter to Lloyd Yavener, Chairperson of the Washington County Historic District Commission, stating that DHS planned to purchase the 53.74-acre parcel at 10900 Hopewell Road (also known as 16220 Wright Road) for use as an “ICE processing facility.”

    The letter noted that “it is possible that, were the springhouse evaluated as part of a multiple property documentation form survey of masonry auxiliary resources in the county or Williamsport, that the springhouse could be determined Contributing under Criterions A or C.”

    Under federal historic preservation standards, properties can qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places if they meet certain criteria:

    • Criterion A — Associated with significant historical events
    • Criterion B — Associated with significant people
    • Criterion C — Significant for architecture, design, or construction
    • Criterion D — Archaeological significance

  26. December 24, 2025

    Washington Post reports ICE detention expansion; Schindler on Hagerstown

    The Washington Post publicized DHS/ICE plans to expand detention by purchasing large warehouses nationwide, including a location in Williamsport, Washington County, Maryland.

    Delegate Matthew Schindler made a public statement about Hagerstown being listed as a location of a proposed ICE detention center.