UPPER BERN — The Trump administration this week finalized the $87.4 million purchase of a warehouse in Berks County that a member of Congress says will be used as an ICE processing and detention facility.
Here’s what we know so far:
This story will be regularly updated. It was last published at 2 p.m. on Feb. 5.
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What do we know about the warehouse?
The warehouse at 3501 Mountain Road has never been used, but it was initially designed and constructed as a commercial facility. The property is located in an area of Upper Bern Township that is zoned for industrial development.
Transwestern Development Company completed construction in 2021 and later sold the warehouse to PCCP, a national commercial real estate equity firm, for $57.5 million. Since it was built and placed on the market, the property has remained vacant while generating about $199,620 annually in county property taxes, $31,229 in township taxes, and $597,110 for the Hamburg Area School District.
A marketing brochure for the Hamburg Logistics Center describes the warehouse as a “state-of-the-art logistics center” designed for large-scale distribution operations.
Why did ICE purchase the warehouse?
ICE recently purchased warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, but the agency has not publicly shared any specifics about how it plans to use them.
However, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, a Republican who represents part of the county, told NOTUS and Spotlight PA, “It will be a processing facility and a detention facility.” He said he spoke to Trump administration officials on Tuesday.
Internal documents obtained by multiple local and national news outlets show a broad push by the Trump administration to acquire commercial warehouses as part of a plan to expand detention across the country, an effort funded by $45 billion approved by Congress through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The nearly 520,000-square-foot warehouse, previously known as the Hamburg Logistics Center, is one of 23 locations ICE plans to redevelop into a mass detention facility, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The outlet reported it could hold up to 1,500 people.
What do elected officials know about ICE’s warehouse purchases?
Elected officials contacted by Spotlight PA and NOTUS for this story said they have limited knowledge of ICE’s plans to purchase warehouses in the state, and that they are trying to get more information from the federal government.
Meuser said Trump officials did not answer all of his questions.
“A lot of the details we're going to get to the bottom of, as far as how many people are going to be detained there, what the capacity is, how many new employees, and all the other things that, all the details that really matter to our community,” Meuser told NOTUS and Spotlight PA. “We're just going to make sure it goes as well as possible. It's a decision [the Department of Homeland Security] made, and we're, you know, we just got to work with them.”
Meuser said he would have discussions with county commissioners and state representatives “to fill them in on everything” he is aware of.
Berks County’s three commissioners — Republicans Christian Leinbach and Michael Rivera, and Democrat Dante Santoni Jr. — said during a Thursday meeting that they have not received confirmation from the federal government about how the warehouse will be used.
“I was not contacted by ICE,” Rivera said. “We cannot stop a sale that is a private transaction of land and property ownership.”
Rivera said residents should direct concerns to federal officials and ICE.
“Since ICE is a federal agency, they are the ones who have the say over what happens at the federal level,” Rivera said. “We are looking into some of the things at this point. I do not have any other details.”
Leinbach, who chairs the body, expressed concern about a “total lack of transparency” with the sale of the property.
“No matter what you think about ICE … you should be very concerned about the process and how this is fundamentally changing what the plan was and what was approved literally overnight, and ask the question, ‘What kind of an impact does that have, and what kind of a precedent does that set for this community?’” Leinbach said. “I'm gravely concerned about this.”
State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, a Democrat who represents part of Berks County and chairs the Legislative Latino Caucus, said the purchase “risks provoking fear, disrupting families, and endangering the well-being of our neighbors.”
“Berks County has faced an ICE detention facility before, and after years of sustained community advocacy, that center ultimately closed. That history matters,” said Cepeda-Freytiz, whose district is 40% Hispanic. “While many questions remain about the scope and operations of this proposed facility, I will continue to use every tool available to demand transparency, protect due process, and stand with our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Can local or state governments stop the detention center?
A spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said the administration opposes the Department of Homeland Security establishing new detention facilities in Pennsylvania.
“While the state does not get advance notice of or approve these types of sales, our Administration is actively evaluating our options,” the spokesperson said.
Berks County officials said they do not know at this point if the county has the power to stop the development of the ICE facility.
“I'm not going to sit here and say we have no power to stop this, because I don't know that for certain. Legal will be looking at that,” Leinbach said.
County Solicitor Christine Sadler said in the meeting that she needs to confirm the use for the facility and get more information from the township about potential zoning issues.
What additional approvals does the facility need?
Upper Bern Township officials said they were not aware of the purchase before it happened.
“The Township was not involved in this transfer and has not received any applications from either the prior or new owners regarding the future use of the property,” Andrew Hoffman, solicitor for Upper Bern Township, said in a statement.
Hoffman declined to answer questions about what the zoning and permitting processes would be for the federally owned warehouse going forward.
During Thursday’s meeting, Rivera said the county has no authority over zoning or any applicable permits for the warehouse. That authority lies with municipalities, he said.
Are there already ICE detention facilities in Pennsylvania?
Seven facilities in Pennsylvania detain people for ICE, according to information published by the agency.
One facility is a federal prison in Philadelphia. Another is the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, which is operated by a private contractor as part of an agreement where the local government operates as a middleman.
The other five are county jails.
How have ICE purchases unfolded in other Pennsylvania counties and in other states?
ICE also recently purchased a 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse in Schuylkill County for $119.5 million. Commissioners there have expressed opposition to the proposed detention center. It would hold up to 7,500 people, Meuser told elected officials, according to the Republican Herald.
In a recent meeting, Schuylkill County Commissioner Larry Padora said he is concerned about the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in local tax revenue, insufficient water, sewage capacity, and security. Padora noted that the combined population of Tremont Township and Tremont Borough represents only a quarter of the capacity ICE is planning for the detention center, the Herald reported.
“Tremont sewage treatment plant, we confirmed yesterday, is not big enough to handle this, and their water system does not have the capacity to handle this,” Padora said.
Susan Smith, director of planning and GIS for Schuylkill County, told Spotlight PA that the zoning ordinance does not apply to uses or structures owned and operated by a state or federal agency. Tremont Township would be responsible for the enforcement of building codes.
ICE has also purchased warehouses in Washington and Howard Counties in Maryland, where both projects have met opposition from residents and local officials.
Howard County revoked a building permit for a proposed detention facility in Elkridge. In a press conference, County Executive Calvin Ball said, “The retrofitting of private office buildings for detention use, without transparency, without public input, without clear oversight, is deeply troubling."
Avani Kalra of NOTUS contributed reporting from Washington, D.C. Spotlight PA’s Kate Huangpu and Sarah Anne Hughes contributed from Harrisburg.