GOSHEN – Orange County’s first legislative session of the year was standing room only Thursday night with an historic turnout as lawmakers voted unanimously to oppose the creation of an ICE Detention Center in warehouses anywhere in the county.
With bipartisan support, all 21 legislators voted in favor of the resolution, sponsored by Democratic Legislator Genesis Ramos, who serves on the Rules Committee.
Ramos said that, although the county government is not the decision-maker in the matter, it still needs to send a clear message to the federal government that it does not want a facility in Chester or anywhere else in Orange County.
“What we see is a federal government that has failed completely to communicate with local governments, with community stakeholders or with the public. There has been no transparency, no partnership and no good faith engagement. Decisions with enormous consequences are being made behind closed doors and imposed on communities, such as Chester, and it’s expected to absorb the damage,” said Ramos. “I would not support this facility even if we did have the infrastructure.”
Nearly fifty concerned citizens spoke publicly and passionately at the session for over two hours.
They expressed concerns about the recent proposal to convert a warehouse in Chester Industrial Park into an ICE detention center, citing strain on the infrastructure, the facility’s impact on business and the community as well as the human cost to local families.
Only one public speaker did not oppose the facility entirely.
With heckling from the crowd, Richard Vargas, a retired deputy sheriff and veteran, expressed his opposition to the facility in Chester but suggested it should be located elsewhere on federal land at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
“Not one person has gotten up tonight and spoken about all the Americans citizens who have been raped and sexually abused, hundreds, by illegal aliens. And what have we done here? Nothing!” said Vargas. “Unless you fought for this country, unless you served this country like I have–you have nothing to say.”
In addition to those who commented publicly at the session, the Legislature received over 400 written comments in favor of the resolution.
Many questions and comments were raised about the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, which currently houses ICE detainees in exchange for nearly $134 per detainee per day.
Legislator Ramos said that the county’s contract with the federal government is solely under the authority of County Executive Steve Neuhaus and not the Legislature.
The ICE facility proposal in Chester is part of a broader plan to purchase, rehabilitate and then expand the warehouse.
No permits for the project have been filed.
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