SCARBOROUGH — The relocation and expansion of an ICE facility from South Portland to Scarborough is an ongoing concern to Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and she recently expressed her concern in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Pingree first requested a delay in opening the facility in March 2020, citing the lack of transparency and engagement with the local community.

“Last year, constituents and local elected officials began to raise concerns about the General Service Administration’s (GSA) decision to lease a building in Scarborough for an ICE office that will be co-located with a Vet Center. I requested that GSA consider delaying ICE’s occupancy of the building until the local community and stakeholders could have the opportunity to engage with GSA and ICE regarding the relocation plan,” said Pingree in her letter sent May 21. “Of the highest concern was the perceived lack of transparency and stakeholder participation in the relocation process, as most members of the community learned of the relocation through a press report based on an email obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.”

“I have also heard significant opposition from the veteran community in my district, many of whom are deeply concerned that this facility is to be co-located with a Vet Center” that provides therapy and reintegration services for military veterans, Pingree said. “I share their concerns that the presence of the ICE facility could deter non-citizen veterans from seeking medical treatment at the Vet Center, and that the presence of detained individuals at or transiting to the ICE facility could be harmful to veterans diagnosed with trauma-induced mental health disorders.”

Since last year, veterans advocates have called for the Department of Homeland Security to halt plans to move the Portland Vet Center, now located on Stevens Avenue in Portland, to a building in Scarborough that will also house an ICE office, according to a Portland Press Herald story by Matt Byrne.

De-ICE Maine, a local coalition against relocating the facility, gathered in protest at Monument Square in Portland on March 5 and again on March 12. The group was protesting an ICE processing facility under construction at 40 Manson Libby Road in Scarborough.

The coalition wants the Scarborough Town Council to unanimously condemn the facility, De-ICE member Kelly Merril said.

“The Planning Board passed this,” De-ICE Maine members said. “Of course, they only had to ensure this complied with ordinance, but there hasn’t been any meaningful opportunity for public engagement that would be able to stop the facility. We’re working on it in all kinds of different aspects to get the word out and prevent local and state officials from cooperating with ICE.”

The Scarborough Town Council passed an anti-racism resolution in October of 2020, and Merrill said it’s time for the council to “walk the walk” through a unanimous condemnation of the ICE facility.

“(ICE is) an organization that sows terror into the hearts of families and neighbors who are living here,” they said. “Some people who like to make a differentiation between the fact this is a processing facility versus a detention facility but it’s all part of the same system and the same pipeline.”

“The community opposition to the relocation of this facility remains strong and continues to grow,” Pingree said in her letter. “This comes at a time when there has been an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers arriving in southern Maine. Those who are committed to their integration and contributions feel strongly that ICE’s reputation is antithetical to their values and goals. Scarborough constituents have stated that they have worked hard for their town to be safe and welcoming, and they feel that the presence of an ICE facility undermines those efforts. I strongly urge you to review the relocation plan for this facility and engage in an open and transparent dialogue with the local community and elected officials about their concerns.”

For transparency and to collect better information on the facility’s relocation, Pingree additionally requested DHS and ICE to answer the following questions:

• What are the specific parameters that DHS sets for GSA in selecting a location for a new or existing ICE facility?
• Are there additional parameters given when selecting a location for a facility with detention capacity?
• Does DHS consider co-location with other federal agencies when relocating an ICE facility, including any veterans’ health care facilities?
• What specific information is DHS required to provide to the town where a new facility is set to be located, or an existing facility relocated, regarding the specific agency and mission of that facility?

ICE intends to utilize the Scarborough facility to process, fingerprint, and detain people suspected of immigration violations, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The Department of Homeland Security currently maintains a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office on Gannett Drive in South Portland that hosts some enforcement and removal agents, according to Byrne’s article. It’s unclear if the new ICE office represents an expansion of the agency’s footprint in Maine, or if the proposed office simply relocates operations personnel and operations already in place.

Staff Writer Catherine Bart contributed to this story.

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