UPDATE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reportedly exploring the option of using the historic Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island as a detention facility for immigrants, igniting immediate concerns among local officials. Sources confirm that ICE officials evaluated the former military base last week, which overlooks New York Bay, as a potential site for housing detained immigrants.
The urgency of this development is heightened by the fact that local representatives, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, have publicly opposed the plan due to the site’s historical significance and its strategic importance for U.S. Coast Guard operations. “The site is not suitable to house migrants,” Malliotakis stated emphatically, asserting that she has communicated these concerns to officials in the Trump administration.
As of now, ICE has not confirmed whether it will proceed with plans to utilize Fort Wadsworth. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to provide comments regarding the situation.
Currently, ICE detains immigrants arrested in New York City at facilities in New Jersey, upstate New York, or Pennsylvania, as the city lacks long-term ICE-run detention centers. The potential use of Fort Wadsworth, a 226-acre federal property, raises alarms among residents and officials who fear the impact on local communities.
Historically, the site has not been used for immigrant detention since the closure of the Varick Street Detention Facility in 2010, which previously held up to 250 immigrants. With ICE actively expanding its detention capacity in the region this year, including arrangements for over 100 detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, this new proposal poses significant implications for immigrant policy in the city.
As the situation develops, local leaders and concerned citizens are urged to stay informed. The future of Fort Wadsworth as a potential immigrant detention site remains uncertain, but its implications for Staten Island and the broader New York area could be profound.
What will happen next? Local officials are monitoring the situation closely, and any further announcements from ICE are likely to provoke strong reactions from both supporters and opponents of the proposal. Stay tuned for updates as this story unfolds.
