ICE Eyes Historic Fort Wadsworth for Immigrant Detention

UPDATE: Federal authorities are reportedly considering the historic Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island as a potential site to detain immigrants, sparking immediate concern among local officials. The New York Times reports that ICE officials visited the former military installation last week to evaluate its suitability for detaining immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Local leaders, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, have voiced strong opposition to the plan, emphasizing the strategic importance of Fort Wadsworth for U.S. Coast Guard operations. “The site is not suitable to house migrants,” Malliotakis stated, urging that her concerns have been communicated to federal officials. She added, “We do not anticipate any such plans.”

The future of Fort Wadsworth remains uncertain as Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, declined to comment on the ongoing discussions. As of now, ICE processes most immigrants arrested in New York City at their Lower Manhattan office before transporting them to facilities in New Jersey, upstate New York, or Pennsylvania.

This historic site spans 226 acres and currently houses U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Park Police offices. In recent developments, ICE has expanded its detention capacity in the New York region, with plans to hold more than 100 detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and up to 50 at Nassau County jail on Long Island. A 1,000-bed facility is also planned across the Hudson River in Newark.

The local community is on high alert, with memories of the Biden administration’s earlier consideration to open an emergency shelter for migrants at Fort Wadsworth still fresh. Since the closure of the Varick Street Detention Facility in 2010, New York City has lacked a major immigration detention center, adding urgency to the current situation.

As ICE evaluates options, local officials and community members are rallying to prevent the facility’s use for immigrant detention. The implications of this potential decision could reshape the landscape of immigration enforcement in New York City, adding pressure to already strained resources and impacting countless lives.

Stay tuned for more updates as this developing story unfolds.