CHESTER, New York (WABC) — Officials in Orange County addressed residents’ concerns over reports that ICE is planning a new facility in the area.
During a packed meeting in the town of Chester on Monday night, fears continued to grow despite no official plans being made.
“To think of them opening up in this town that I’ve lived my entire life, it’s like really disgusting and it’s scary, and frightening,” said Milo Shaw-Smith Gendelman, a resident from Warwick, the next town over.
The idea that ICE is considering building a holding center at an empty warehouse in Chester has residents of the Orange County community shuddering, and showing up.
“I’m so grateful to see that everybody is out here and speaking up and speaking for their neighbors,” said Chester resident, Veronica Mott.
Monday night’s regular village board meeting was the most packed anyone could remember. It had to be moved to a bigger venue, and people lined up in the cold for their turn to be heard.
“If this facility opens up, they’re going to be grabbing thousands of people off the streets all over the Hudson Valley, including my constituents, and sending them here to Chester,” said Poughkeepsie City Council member Daniel Atonna. “So we all need to speak out.”
And many people did on Monday night.
During the meeting, the mayor explained that the board hadn’t received any permit applications. ICE has only posted a notice of activity for that address, since it’s in a flood plain, but people were still welcome to comment.
“And you can hear the anguish at the thought of this, this concentration camp being placed here,” said Chester resident Michael Sussman, who is also a civil rights attorney and former Democratic candidate for Orange County executive. “I hope people in Washington are listening.”
With no formal proposal or anything in writing from the Department of Homeland Security, a major concern here is that the federal government, and an administration they don’t have much trust or confidence in right now, will blindside the community.
“And I don’t believe that they will have the capacity or forethought to be able to provide for these people,” said Mason Vitiello, and EMT from Warwick.
Residents slammed the idea for humanitarian and practical reasons.
“That warehouse was made for people to work in. Made for industry,” said Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge.
Holdridge says an ICE facility would strain the infrastructure and tear apart the community.
“I think this goes against American values. I think this will be remembered as a stain on American history. Just like the Japanese internment camps were,” he said.
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