No Sale on Hanover ICE Facility

On 1/28, the Hanover County Board of Supervisors opposed a proposal to convert a warehouse at 11525 Lakeridge Parkway in Ashland, VA, into a processing facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Board based their decision on land-use conflicts and the Department of Homeland Security’s lack of consultation with them on an appropriate location. Read their official statement. On 1/30, Jim Pattison Developments, the owner of the warehouse in question announced it would not proceed with the sale of the warehouse. It’s not clear whether this was due to an international pressure campaign or some other reasons.

To recap, Hanover County received a letter on 1/22 from DHS about its intent to buy the privately owned warehouse. The BoS did not ask DHS to select the property and wasn’t consulted “regarding whether the purchase would be consistent with the County’s land use policies or Comprehensive Plan, or regarding its potential impact on residents and businesses.”

The BoS addressed the land use policies in its statement:

A facility of this nature will change the character of the area, place unplanned demands on County services, including public safety, as well as reduce County tax revenues by no less than $1 million annually. However, future revenue losses are likely to be significantly higher. These lost revenues would normally go to support vital and essential services that the County delivers to our citizens.

According to Board Chair Sean Davis, “Simply put, a DHS facility at this property on Lakeridge Parkway is not consistent with the established land use for this business, residential and commerce area.”

A community rises in opposition

North of 500 people from Hanover and other counties braved the bitter cold for the BoS 1/28 public meeting to protest the warehouse sale to DHS. They gathered outside and then filled the public meeting room to capacity. Others contacted the BoS by email and phone to voice their opposition.

171 speakers signed up to address the BoS during the public comment session. Most of them urged the BoS to reject the project, concerned that an ICE facility would change the area’s character and strain county resources.

In addition to residents, several organizations and faith leaders attended the protest. Multiple media outlets covered it, including Style Weekly and The Canadian Press.

Who owns the warehouse in question?

The warehouse’s owner is Jim Pattison Developments, which belongs to Canadian billionaire Jim Pattison. The company claimed that when DHS contacted it about buying the warehouse, it didn’t know that they planned to use the building as an ICE processing facility. JPD released the following statement,

As a matter of policy, we do not comment on private transactions. However, we understand that the conversation around immigration policy and enforcement is particularly heated, and has become much more so over the past few weeks. We respect that this issue is deeply important to many people.

According to Jim Pattison Developments, the sale of the warehouse is “still subject to certain approvals and closing conditions.” That means for as long as the warehouse is for sale, DHS can still purchase the property and override the wishes of the BoS.

What happens next?

In its statement, the BoS asked that the Department of Homeland Security take the county’s feedback into consideration. As of this writing, the BoS is drafting a detailed letter to DHS outlining its concerns.

On 1/30, Jim Pattison Developments announced it would not proceed with the sale of the warehouse.

Per the New York Times, International companies doing business with ICE are taking heat. B.C.’s Green party called for a boycott of the Jim Pattison Group, driven by ICE’s fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti (via Vancouver Sun).

Here in Virginia, Governor Spanberger “signed an executive order rescinding the state’s requirement that local police and state police cooperate with ICE, although it did not cancel existing 287(g) agreements between individual police departments and the federal agency.” Learn more.

Lt. Ghazala Hashmi released a statement backing the proposal’s rejection.