Washington County Commissioners Canceled Next Week’s Meeting After 100 Protested the Proposed ICE Detention Center

Hours after one of the largest demonstrations yet against the proposed Hagerstown-area ICE detention center, County officials abruptly canceled the following week’s public Commissioners meeting.

On the same day hundreds of residents gathered outside the Washington County Board of County Commissioners meeting to protest the proposed ICE detention center near Hagerstown, the Commissioners quietly canceled their next scheduled public meeting.

The cancellation notice, posted to the county website on May 12, announced that the May 19, 2026 Commissioners meeting would no longer take place. No detailed explanation was provided and the timing speaks for itself.

On May 12, about 100 residents, activists, environmental advocates, and community members rallied outside the Commissioners meeting to oppose DHS’s plan to convert an 825,000 square foot industrial warehouse in Williamsport into a massive ICE detention center.

And now, suddenly, the Commissioners don’t want to hold a public meeting next week and residents should ask themselves why. If county officials truly believe this project is safe, transparent, and supported by the public, there should be no reason to avoid facing the community after one of the largest demonstrations Washington County has seen in years.

This is is further evidence that the public pressure is working. Every protest, every public records request, every journalist asking questions, and every resident refusing to stay silent has forced this project further into the spotlight. What officials once hoped would quietly move forward behind closed doors is now facing lawsuits, environmental scrutiny, national media attention, and a reported federal watchdog investigation.

We intend to continue using every lawful tool available to delay, challenge, expose, and ultimately stop this proposed ICE detention facility until the project is permanently canceled.