Washington County's commissioners gave the proposed ICE jail their “full support.” A peer-reviewed study suggests local homeowners may be the ones left paying for it.
First, thank you for the weirdly aggressive series of comments. Between accusing me of lying, worrying about my reputation, and repeatedly reposting the same thing because Substack’s moderation system hid it, your argument is a little hard to follow. But I’ll do my best to decipher what you’re saying and address the actual points.
Your main argument appears to be that this cannot possibly be compared to a prison because the government calls it an “ICE processing center” publicly - though internally, they refer to it as a “detention center” - and the word “prison” apparently does not appear in the permit application.
That is an interesting semantic argument.
For the past two years, our government has told us that the people ICE is arresting and detaining are the “worst of the worst,” dangerous criminals who supposedly need to be taken off our streets. But now that we’re talking about where the government plans to confine those same people, suddenly we’re supposed to pretend it isn’t a jail or prison because somebody typed “processing center” on a piece of paper.
More importantly, the proposed Washington County facility is not going to be “indistinguishable from any other warehouse,” as you claim. The plans include guard towers, secure prison fencing, cells for detainees, and even a gun range. People will be brought there by law enforcement, confined behind security fencing, guarded, and prevented from leaving.
Most warehouses I’ve been to have loading docks. They generally don’t need guard towers, prison fencing, people locked in cages inside, nor numerous guards with guns making sure what is being stored inside cannot escape.
You also seem to misunderstand what our analysis actually says. We did not “make a study.” We cited peer-reviewed research published by MIT Press in The Review of Economics and Statistics examining what happened to nearby housing values after new prisons opened, and then applied the study’s reported distance-based estimates to residential properties surrounding the proposed facility. We very deliberately describe the result as an estimate of potential impact, not a prediction that every home will lose exactly that amount.
If you disagree with the methodology, great. Tell me which assumption you think is wrong. Tell me why the peer-reviewed study is inapplicable. Bring another study showing a different effect. Challenge the data. That would actually be an interesting discussion.
But “they call it a processing center, therefore it isn’t a jail” isn’t much of a rebuttal. And accusing someone of lying over and over again doesn’t magically turn it into one.
We will absolutely be publishing follow-ups, but based on your comments, they won’t fit what you are requesting.
It is also worth noting that people have already begun making real decisions in response to the proposed ICE jail opening in Williamsport. Some residents have decided to move out of the area, while others have decided against moving to the town altogether for the same reason. It is a shame that the Washington County commissioners nor DHS have allowed for any meaningful public input about this project before moving forward with it. Hopefully that will change, because it is not fair to the residents who are now being unfairly harmed by a process they were largely excluded from.
We also have other more impactful stories about to drop, and we hope you read those as well.
“ Crazy how you make a study about something that does not exist.
What is even crazier is that you know you are lying and still promote the lies.
“Great job using the studies and making a projection on impact. We can replicate this across sites!! Thanks. Ellis www.noccus.org”
My suggestion would be to write a follow up article that states that at no time has the facility ever been categorized or identified as a prison. That there is no relationship between the Maryland State Prison less than 10 miles away and the ICE processing center. No guard towers, not razor wire, and not one provision in the permit application that mentions “prison”.
In fact the application states at all costs it will not be distinguishable from any other warehouse.
Your false and misleading article causes more harm and property value loses to the community than the 100-200 people who live in the community and disapprove of the facility.
Your article is not representative of the truth and should be noted that it is based upon something that is not proposed and approved by the community.
And this will deplete property tax income which will lower the funding for public schools.
Great job using the studies and making a projection on impact. We can replicate this across sites!! Thanks. Ellis www.noccus.org
Sending you an email
Kyle why does your admin keep blocking my responses to your report?
If it is about truth. Then why not allow me to post a response to your “Rapid Response”
Bob,
First, thank you for the weirdly aggressive series of comments. Between accusing me of lying, worrying about my reputation, and repeatedly reposting the same thing because Substack’s moderation system hid it, your argument is a little hard to follow. But I’ll do my best to decipher what you’re saying and address the actual points.
Your main argument appears to be that this cannot possibly be compared to a prison because the government calls it an “ICE processing center” publicly - though internally, they refer to it as a “detention center” - and the word “prison” apparently does not appear in the permit application.
That is an interesting semantic argument.
For the past two years, our government has told us that the people ICE is arresting and detaining are the “worst of the worst,” dangerous criminals who supposedly need to be taken off our streets. But now that we’re talking about where the government plans to confine those same people, suddenly we’re supposed to pretend it isn’t a jail or prison because somebody typed “processing center” on a piece of paper.
More importantly, the proposed Washington County facility is not going to be “indistinguishable from any other warehouse,” as you claim. The plans include guard towers, secure prison fencing, cells for detainees, and even a gun range. People will be brought there by law enforcement, confined behind security fencing, guarded, and prevented from leaving.
Most warehouses I’ve been to have loading docks. They generally don’t need guard towers, prison fencing, people locked in cages inside, nor numerous guards with guns making sure what is being stored inside cannot escape.
You also seem to misunderstand what our analysis actually says. We did not “make a study.” We cited peer-reviewed research published by MIT Press in The Review of Economics and Statistics examining what happened to nearby housing values after new prisons opened, and then applied the study’s reported distance-based estimates to residential properties surrounding the proposed facility. We very deliberately describe the result as an estimate of potential impact, not a prediction that every home will lose exactly that amount.
If you disagree with the methodology, great. Tell me which assumption you think is wrong. Tell me why the peer-reviewed study is inapplicable. Bring another study showing a different effect. Challenge the data. That would actually be an interesting discussion.
But “they call it a processing center, therefore it isn’t a jail” isn’t much of a rebuttal. And accusing someone of lying over and over again doesn’t magically turn it into one.
We will absolutely be publishing follow-ups, but based on your comments, they won’t fit what you are requesting.
It is also worth noting that people have already begun making real decisions in response to the proposed ICE jail opening in Williamsport. Some residents have decided to move out of the area, while others have decided against moving to the town altogether for the same reason. It is a shame that the Washington County commissioners nor DHS have allowed for any meaningful public input about this project before moving forward with it. Hopefully that will change, because it is not fair to the residents who are now being unfairly harmed by a process they were largely excluded from.
We also have other more impactful stories about to drop, and we hope you read those as well.
Cheers,
Kyle
There is no violation of any terms here.
“ Crazy how you make a study about something that does not exist.
What is even crazier is that you know you are lying and still promote the lies.
“Great job using the studies and making a projection on impact. We can replicate this across sites!! Thanks. Ellis www.noccus.org”
My suggestion would be to write a follow up article that states that at no time has the facility ever been categorized or identified as a prison. That there is no relationship between the Maryland State Prison less than 10 miles away and the ICE processing center. No guard towers, not razor wire, and not one provision in the permit application that mentions “prison”.
In fact the application states at all costs it will not be distinguishable from any other warehouse.
Your false and misleading article causes more harm and property value loses to the community than the 100-200 people who live in the community and disapprove of the facility.
Your article is not representative of the truth and should be noted that it is based upon something that is not proposed and approved by the community.
Good luck on saving your reputation.
Trust No One.”
You will not allow someone to post something that disagrees with your views?
Sad
Twice you have removed my view because it does not fit your view.
So many downstream effects as well