Overview

ICE planned to purchase and convert a 324,000 square-foot warehouse on a 43-acre property at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack, New Hampshire into a regional processing center. The facility was designed for 400-600 beds with detainees staying 3-7 days as a staging location for transfers or removals. It was one of 16 planned “processing sites” in the Detention Reengineering Initiative, each with capacity for 500-1,500 beds.

Key Details

• Estimated cost: $158 million for retrofitting in 2026; $146 million for operations over first 3 years ($304M total)
• Property: 324,000 sq ft warehouse on 43 acres
• Planned capacity: 400-600 beds (processing center; 3-7 day stays)
• Facility type: Regional processing center (one of 16 in Reengineering Initiative)
• Status: Scrapped by Sec. Noem in Feb 2026 — but DHS has NOT ruled out NH
• Part of: $38 billion nationwide “new detention model” for mass deportation infrastructure

Community Opposition

Merrimack is in New Hampshire, a “purple” swing state that holds the nation’s first presidential primary. Community uproar forced the halt of the planned facility. The ACLU of New Hampshire obtained state documents confirming ICE’s detailed site plans, revealing that state officials had known about the plans for weeks before public disclosure.

Town leaders warned the facility would burden emergency services, tarnish the community’s image, and reduce property tax revenues. NH’s entire four-member congressional delegation (all Democrats) introduced legislation requiring ICE to get community feedback and state/local approval before building any new detention facility.

NOT Ruled Out (April 2026)

Despite the Merrimack scrapping, the threat is not over:

• March 18, 2026: DHS Secretary nominee Markwayne Mullin refused to rule out an ICE facility in NH during his confirmation hearing, saying only he would “work with community leaders.”
• March 25, 2026: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons wrote to Sen. Hassan: “ICE is assessing a variety of locations throughout the country, but cannot confirm or discuss any specific locations at this time.”
• State Rep. Wendy Thomas is monitoring several warehouses, including the original Merrimack site and a Hudson warehouse as potential alternative locations.
• Sen. Hassan stated: “ICE keeps refusing to rule out the construction of detention facilities elsewhere in New Hampshire.”

Timeline

• December 24, 2025: Washington Post first reports on the plan (Christmas Eve)
• January 12, 2026: ICE consults NH Division of Historical Resources on intent to purchase
• February 3, 2026: ACLU-NH releases documents; NHPR and Boston Globe confirm state officials knew for weeks
• February 12, 2026: Acting ICE Director says “DHS has worked with Gov. Ayotte” on Merrimack center
• February 13, 2026: Gov. Ayotte releases DHS documents revealing full Detention Reengineering Initiative
• February 24, 2026: Gov. Ayotte announces DHS will not move forward with Merrimack facility
• March 18, 2026: DHS Secretary nominee Mullin won’t rule out NH facility at confirmation hearing
• March 25, 2026: ICE Director Lyons refuses to rule out NH in written response
• April 10, 2026: InDepthNH reports DHS still won’t rule out ICE facility in NH

Sources

• ACLU-NH unveils state documents confirming ICE’s detailed site plans — ACLU-NH
• Documents confirm ICE plans for Merrimack warehouse — NHPR
• Records confirm ICE eyeing massive warehouse — Boston Globe
• Ayotte releases DHS documents — NH Bulletin
• ICE scraps plans for NH detention center — Boston.com
• DHS Won’t Rule Out ICE Facility in NH — InDepthNH (Apr 10, 2026)
• Trump’s DHS Nominee Won’t Rule Out NH Facility — InDepthNH (Mar 20, 2026)
• Feds reveal details on 324K sq ft facility — Boston 25 News
• Detention Reengineering Initiative document — NH Governor’s Office (PDF)