County Fight Paused

Schuylkill County PA — Tremont Township Warehouse (7,500 beds) Blocked by DEP

Schuylkill, PA FIPS 42107

Current status: DHS purchased the 1.3-million sq ft former Big Lots distribution warehouse in Tremont Township on January 29, 2026 for $119.5M, planning a 7,500-bed detention facility — the largest proposed in the United States. PA DEP's March 5, 2026 orders block water and sewer connection and prohibit occupancy. The facility would require 800,000 gallons of water per day — double the local system's entire capacity, enough to drain the community reservoir in a single day. ICE and DHS appealed to the PA Environmental Hearing Board on April 8; both PA sites are in a single consolidated proceeding with a discovery/negotiation schedule running through November 4, 2026.

The Fight

On January 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security completed the purchase of the former Big Lots distribution warehouse at 50 Rausch Creek Road, Tremont Township, Schuylkill County for $119,515,000. The deed was agreed upon January 15 and recorded January 29. The seller was BIGTRPA001 LLC, a subsidiary of Blue Owl Real Estate Net Lease Property Fund. Schuylkill County commissioners — and Tremont Township — had no advance notice; the township tax collector’s first clue was an inquiry about property taxes from a company involved in the transaction in early January.

The 1.3-million sq ft facility — with 40-foot ceilings — was built as a mega-distribution center for Big Lots. DHS planned to convert it into a 7,500-bed immigration detention and processing center, the largest proposed ICE detention facility in the United States.

The water problem: Operating at capacity, the facility would consume approximately 800,000 gallons of water per day — more than double the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority’s (SCMA) total current system capacity. DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley stated the facility could drain the community reservoir in a single day. There is no spare capacity anywhere in the local system to absorb the demand.

Community reaction: A town hall meeting at a local fire hall on January 29, 2026 — the same day the deed was recorded — drew a packed crowd of residents opposed to the facility. Schuylkill County commissioners, local elected officials across party lines, and residents demanded answers from DHS, which had not made a public announcement about the purchase or its plans.

DEP orders — March 5, 2026: PA DEP Secretary Shirley issued orders covering both the Tremont and Upper Bern sites, barring DHS from using SCMA’s Tremont drinking water system, connecting to sewer, or occupying the warehouse without required environmental permits and compliance showings. The Schuylkill County Municipal Authority was separately ordered not to extend water or sewer service. DEP framed the action as protecting rural communities from “overwhelmed sewage facilities leaking raw waste into our streets and rivers.”

DHS appeal — April 8, 2026: ICE filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, arguing for “reasonable use” of water and wastewater systems at levels previously approved for the prior industrial tenants. The Environmental Hearing Board’s Chair and Chief Judge Steven C. Beckman consolidated both the Berks and Schuylkill site appeals; Judge Bernard Labuskes Jr. assigned. The prehearing order set discovery and settlement negotiation deadlines running through November 4, 2026. Former DEP Secretary David Hess told Spotlight PA the contested process “can be a several-year kind of process.”

Timeline

2025-12-XX: Washington Post reports Tremont Township on list of potential DHS detention sites
2026-01-early: Tremont Township tax collector receives inquiry about property taxes from transaction-linked company
2026-01-15: DHS deed agreed upon; Gov. Shapiro speaks at community roundtable on the ICE expansion
2026-01-29: Deed recorded; $119.5M purchase confirmed; packed town hall at local fire hall
2026-02-02: Press widely reports Schuylkill purchase alongside the Berks purchase
2026-03-05: DEP issues five orders covering both sites; SCMA ordered not to extend water/sewer
2026-03-06: Shapiro administration press release: “No Schuylkill or Berks Detention Warehouses Without Complying with State Law”
2026-03-20: ICE seeks extension on environmental reporting deadlines
2026-03-27: Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA9) issues statement on DHS commitments; presents a more accommodating posture toward ICE
2026-04-08: ICE/DHS appeal filed with Environmental Hearing Board
2026-04-14: Times News reports ICE is formally challenging the DEP order
2026-04-21: Spotlight PA reports the fight “could last years”; EHB schedule through Nov. 4

Key Actors

DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley — issued March 5 orders; stated the site could “drain the reservoir in a single day”
Gov. Josh Shapiro — administration driving regulatory resistance; spoke at Jan. 15 roundtable
Schuylkill County Commissioners — mixed posture; sought answers from DHS; some accommodating, some opposed
Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA9) — issued statement outlining DHS “commitments”; notably more cooperative with ICE than state administration
Judge Bernard Labuskes Jr. — assigned to EHB case
Chief Judge Steven C. Beckman — EHB chair; issued consolidated prehearing order
David Hess (former DEP Secretary) — expert witness on length and novelty of the regulatory process

Why This Fight Matters

The Tremont facility, if built, would be the largest ICE detention center in American history — triple the size of most existing mega-facilities. The water demand alone makes it functionally impossible without infrastructure the community does not have and cannot build without destroying local supply. DEP’s orders have created a regulatory moat that DHS must cross before a single detainee can be processed.

The Schuylkill fight also reveals a partisan split within Pennsylvania’s Republican delegation: while Gov. Shapiro’s administration uses every available regulatory lever, Rep. Meuser negotiated cooperatively with DHS. The Environmental Hearing Board proceeding now determines whether state environmental law is a real barrier or a delay tactic — and that outcome will reverberate across every other warehouse conversion DHS is attempting nationwide.

Sources

This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.

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