Hochul Demands Answers from DHS on Secret Migrant Detention Projects

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has escalated a dispute with the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the construction of migrant detention facilities. In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Hochul demanded explanations for three federal projects in Rochester, Batavia, and Newburgh, asserting they are proceeding without informing state and local officials.

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You have repeatedly promised to coordinate with local communities. That is not what is happening.

Hochul accused the administration of "secretly building the infrastructure needed to detain even more people," a move she claims contradicts promises of community coordination. She is seeking specific details on the location and capacity of each facility, the source of funding, and the legal framework governing their development.

One project involves installing detention cells in the Kenneth B. Keating federal building in Rochester, which also houses a federal courthouse and a daycare center. This has drawn objections from local officials, including U.S. Representative Joe Morelle, who criticized the federal government for ignoring community concerns and proceeding without addressing the impact on families and children.

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Instead of focusing on the most serious cases, your administration is detaining neighbors and coworkers, separating families and secretly building the infrastructure needed to detain even more people.

In Batavia, the focus is on expanding the Buffalo Federal Detention Center by approximately 100 beds, a move Hochul noted is problematic given the facility's existing overcrowding. Meanwhile, in Newburgh, a warehouse on Corporate Boulevard is reportedly being converted into a migrant detention center without prior consultation with local or county authorities.

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The federal government ignored our community, dodged basic questions, and decided to move forward with this project anyway.

The governor also questioned whether these initiatives align with previous commitments not to expand immigration enforcement operations in New York without explicit state government requests. The DHS has not yet publicly responded to Hochul's letter.

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They refused to address concerns about the impact this facility will have on the families and children who use this building every day.