Elected Democrats in New Hampshire are slamming reports of plans by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to open a new detainee processing facility at a vacant warehouse in Merrimack, with room to house an estimated 500 to 1,500 people as the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration continues.

The Washington Post reported last week that Merrimack, New Hampshire, would be one of several new locations ICE was planning to open new facilities, citing a draft solicitation and saying the agency plans to house 80,000 illegal immigrants in warehouses across the U.S.

Representatives of ICE Boston tell the Herald they’ve been fielding numerous inquiries into the rumored facility, adding that the Washington Post reporting has sparked similar inquiries across the country. Even town officials and state lawmakers are seemingly unaware of any plans to bring a new ICE facility to Merrimack, according to WMUR.

Three Merrimack-based Democrats, however, are already speaking out about the potential plans. State Reps. Wendy Thomas, Rosmarie Rung, and Nancy Murphy issued a statement on Sunday saying that building an ICE facility in the small town would “make our town complicit in cruelty and human rights abuses.”

“These facilities operate by warehousing human beings, often for months or years, under harsh conditions that dehumanize and traumatize adults and children alike. Detention has been shown to cause lasting psychological harm, particularly to asylum seekers and survivors of violence. No community that values dignity, fairness and the rule of law should accept this,” the three lawmakers wrote.

“We call on local and state officials to reject any proposal to site any immigrant detention facilities in Merrimack and to instead support humane, community-based alternatives that respect due process and human dignity. Our town should stand on the right side of history, against cruelty, against lawlessness, and for human rights,” they said.

The Washington Post report also details wider-ranging plans by ICE and DHS for facilities across the country, including larger detention centers capable of holding between 5,000 and 10,000 beds along with smaller sites holding up to 1,500 detainees.

“Merrimack is a town built on community, compassion and respect for our neighbors. We believe in upholding human rights and following the law, not profiting from suffering or normalizing abuse behind barbed wire and locked doors. Our local resources should be invested in housing, healthcare, education and public safety, not in expanding a detention system that has proven time and again to be cruel, ineffective and unlawful,” Reps. Thomas, Rung and Murphy went on to say.

Democratic Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander is also slamming the plans, posting on X Saturday that she is “deeply concerned” about news of the rumored plans.

“I am deeply concerned by reports that the Trump Administration has developed plans — apparently without input from the community — to use an industrial warehouse in New Hampshire to detain human beings,” posted Goodlander. “This is not who we are. I am working closely with our partners at every level of government to get to the bottom of this proposal, and I will continue using every tool available to hold the Trump Administration accountable.”

The Herald has reached out to Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, state Rep. Jeanine Notter, R-Merrimack, and state Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, for comment.

_____

©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.