DHS Sends Maryland Historical Trust a Letter That Initiates Consultation and Proposes a 'No Historic Properties Affected' Finding for the Williamsport Warehouse

Opening paragraph

The Department of Homeland Security’s historic-preservation letter to the Maryland Historical Trust is dated January 12, 2026. Its subject line reads “Initiation of Consultation and Finding of No Historic Properties Affected”: the document that opened consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act also stated ICE’s finding.

What Happened / Key Facts

The letter, filed as Exhibit A to the State of Maryland’s complaint, describes ICE as “proposing to purchase, occupy and rehabilitate a 53.74-acre warehouse property.” It states that ICE “has not received any comments” from the invited local bodies or tribes and asks for comments “within 30 calendar days of the date of receipt of this letter.” The county reports that its own copy was received on January 14, 2026 (the Trust’s later letter gives the same receipt date), which puts the end of the 30-day period in mid-February, after the deed.

The State’s complaint alleges that ICE executed the deed on January 16, 2026, before the Trust had responded. The court has made no finding on that point in the complaint document.

Why This Event Matters

The dates are checkable against documents and are distinct kinds: the letter is dated January 12, the Trust received it January 14, the deed was executed January 16 (recorded January 22 per the complaint), and the Trust answered on January 29. The Trust’s concurrence is dated January 29, after the deed date, and it later asked for more information (see 2026-02-10–maryland-historical-trust-asks-dhs-for-more-information-wright-road-relocation). This is the primary text behind 2026-01-14–dhs-williamsport-section-106-same-day-review, which relied on the county’s and a newsletter’s accounts and dated the letter January 14.

Broader Context

The letter names the project New ICE Baltimore Processing Facility at 10900 Hopewell Road, Hagerstown. It invites the federally recognized tribes the Delaware Nation, Oklahoma, and the Seneca-Cayuga Nation, and does not mention a road relocation.