Upper Bern Township PA Warehouse — ICE Processing Center
Overview
In February 2026, ICE paid approximately $87 million for a warehouse in Upper Bern Township, Pennsylvania (near Hamburg), as part of the Detention Reengineering Initiative. The facility is designated as a regional processing center.
Key Details
- Purchase price: ~$87 million
- Purchase date: February 2026
- Facility type: Regional processing center (one of 16)
- Target completion: FY2026
Status (as of June 2026)
Occupancy is blocked. PA DEP’s March 5, 2026 administrative orders bar DHS from occupying the site or connecting to water/sewer until it demonstrates compliance with state environmental law. ICE appealed to the PA Environmental Hearing Board (April 8); Judge Bernard Labuskes Jr. assigned. The EHB ordered DEP and DHS to discuss a settlement by June 8, 2026, with discovery/negotiation running through Nov. 4, 2026. Separately, on May 14, 2026 the township approved a deal in which developer Transwestern/GACSD will pay Upper Bern $82,390 for construction deficiencies. Full detail in the county-fight entry pa-berks-upper-bern-ice-warehouse.
Legal Questions
The purchase has raised significant questions about whether local officials have the authority to block or regulate federal detention facilities. Analysis from The Conversation explored the legal frameworks at play, noting that local zoning and land-use authority faces uncertain ground against federal sovereign immunity claims.
Note: Tremont PA Mega-Center
Pennsylvania hosts a second, larger facility: a warehouse in Tremont, PA (central Pennsylvania), designated as one of the eight large-scale “mega-centers” capable of holding 7,500-10,000 detainees. This is a separate entry.