ICE Retracts Claim It Bought Chester Warehouse, Calls Statement a ‘Mistake’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the federal agency has not purchased any facility in Chester after stating Friday that it had bought a warehouse in Orange County.

“ICE has NOT purchased a facility in Chester, New York. That statement was sent without proper approval and this mistake has been rectified,” said an ICE spokesperson in an email on Tuesday evening.

On Friday, an ICE spokesperson had notified local news outlets that the agency had purchased a facility in Chester intended to be “very well-structured detention facilities.” However, the Orange County Clerk’s Office confirmed with Radio Catskill that no new deed had been filed for 29 Elizabeth Drive – the location of ICE’s proposed facility – as of Friday afternoon.

Local lawmakers said they did not receive any information about ICE’s purchase claims and were finding out updates from press statements and news outlets.

ICE said on Tuesday night that its previous statement was a “mistake.”

“Regardless, every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe,” said a spokesperson for ICE. “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”

Town of Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said ICE’s retraction was a sign of incompetence.

“‘I’m definitely happy that the purchase hasn’t gone through yet, but I think it just really goes to show [ICE’s] lack of discipline and training and then, of course, this blatant incompetence,” said Holdridge. “This doesn’t really bode well for any confidence in how they carry themselves.”

Holdridge is calling on the public to pressure Pyramid Brokerage Company, the real estate brokerage company for the property, to stop the sale.

“Hopefully with public pressure, these people just come to their senses, see their humanity, and say ‘I don’t want to be a part of this.’ So hopefully, it will delay it longer,” said Holdridge.

The most current information on the property still shows a deed to IEP Chester LLC as the owner, according to the Orange County Clerk’s Office as of Friday afternoon. The 401,000-square-foot warehouse is owned by a subsidiary of Icahn Enterprises, the holding company owned by billionaire and former Trump advisor Carl Icahn.

Radio Catskill emailed ICE asking whether the agency is still planning to buy the former Pep Boys warehouse in Chester and its intended timeline, but did not receive a response before publication.

This is a developing story.

Image: Front entrance view of 29 Elizabeth Drive in Chester, N.Y (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)