A group of protesters, including elected officials, gathered outside an empty warehouse in Newburgh, New York, on Tuesday amid concerns the facility could become a future Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.Among the speakers was Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), who argued that the prospect of a large immigration detention facility evoked some of history’s darkest chapters and suggested Orange County had been unfairly singled out.“Now twice here in our own backyard,” Ryan said, “the very people elected by the American people have turned their backs on that declaration, on our Constitution, on our Bill of Rights, on our patriotic values as Americans that we care for everyone. And when we say liberty and justice for all, it means actually all.”
The reaction follows reports over the past week that the empty warehouse connected to a General Services Administration lease could be considered as a future ICE detention site, although the federal government has not announced any plans for the property.Following the rally, Ryan reiterated his opposition on X, writing: “No ICE in Newburgh. No ICE in Chester. No ICE ANYWHERE in the Hudson Valley. 400+ neighbors. Rallying together with one voice, one message.”
