PICK ONE ACTION AND PLEASE DO IT
We are watching a real time masterclass in government deception. ICE did not come through the front door. They did not hold a town hall. Instead, they relied on backroom tactics, corporate proxies, and shell companies to quietly acquire a massive former Pep Boys warehouse. They are aggressively expanding their concentration camp network, and they are using a small municipality as their dumping ground.
This project is a guaranteed disaster on every single front. It is an infrastructural failure, a humanitarian nightmare, and an ecological catastrophe waiting to happen.
The Humanitarian Nightmare: NO SEWER
Let us talk about the absolute absurdity of this plan. Chester is a small municipality. The town has explicitly stated there is NO SEWER capacity for a facility of this massive scale.
ICE wants to pack thousands of human beings into a dormant tire warehouse. Doing this without the municipal wastewater capacity to handle it is a lethal public health disaster waiting to happen. They are trying to bypass local zoning and warehouse human beings in a failing industrial site.
The Ecological Catastrophe: The Endangered Species Kill Off
If the human rights violations do not stop them, maybe the environmental destruction will. The warehouse sits directly in a 100 year floodplain. Converting this industrial property into a detention center will annihilate protected wetlands.
Worse, the massive construction and toxic runoff will actively kill off three endangered species native to the region. This is what we stand to lose:
1. The Bog Turtle
This is one of North America’s smallest turtles, and it relies on the exact type of shallow, spring fed wetlands that surround the Chester area. Paving over their habitat is a death sentence.
2. The Indiana Bat
These bats use the mature forested areas and wetland meadows for feeding and roosting. Wiping out the floodplain will destroy the critical insect populations they need to survive.
3. The Northern Long Eared Bat
Another heavily protected species that relies on the undisturbed tree canopy supported by the local wetlands.
They are willing to bulldoze federal environmental law and drive native anima extinction just to build another cage.
The Action Plan: The ICE Scraper Campaign
Chester cannot fight the federal government and corporate billionaires alone. They need our pressure.
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus doesn’t think protests work. He is currently the man standing between our community and this massive disaster. Neuhaus is the only person who can end the current contract between Orange County and ICE. Furthermore, his cooperation is needed by the legislature to pass an emergency ban on new prisons and detention centers, which would block the Chester facility from opening.
BJ Mendelson over at The Monroe Gazette just put out a brilliant call to action. We are going to send Neuhaus a physical reminder of our power.
Go to a local, independent hardware store. Do not buy anything from Lowe’s or Home Depot, as both corporations are supporters of the Trump regime. True patriots boycott them.
Buy the most inexpensive ice scraper you can find.
Mail it directly to Neuhaus at this exact address:
Orange County Government Center
Care of County Executive Steve Neuhaus
255 Main Street
Goshen, New York 10924
Before you drop it in the mail, take a picture of your ice scraper and send it directly to the Monroe Gazette at bj@monroegazette.com (that is BJ at monroegazette dot com, spelled with one Z and two Ts). They are collecting the photos to document the resistance.
CHESTER, NY PUBLIC CONTACT MANUAL (DIRECT LINKS ONLY)
Agencies & Officia Legal Authority Over Land Use, Environmental Review, Infrastructure, and Eminent Domain
1. NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE Governor Kathy Hochul Office of the Governor
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: 518-474-8390
Contact Form: Direct Link
Website: governor.ny.gov
Authority:
Can direct state agencies (DEC, DOT, DOH)
Can initiate state level eminent domain
Can order emergency environmental review
Message Script for the Governor:
Governor Hochul, I am demanding that your office immediately invoke an emergency environmental review and explore state level eminent domain to block the proposed ICE detention center at the former Pep Boys warehouse at 29 Elizabeth Drive in Chester. This facility sits directly in a 100 year floodplain and threatens our local water supply. New York must protect its residents. Use every executive power you have to stop the federal government from converting this industrial site into a hazardous deportation camp before our local ecosystem is murdered.
2. NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL Letitia James Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: 1-800-771-7755
Contact Form: Direct Link
Website: ag.ny.gov
Authority:
Investigates environmental violations
Investigates improper land deals
Can file injunctions
Can challenge unlawful approvals
Message Script for the Attorney General:
Attorney General James, I am urging your office to file an immediate injunction against the Department of Homeland Security regarding their proposed detention facility in Chester, NY. ICE intends to pack 1,500 people into a warehouse that lacks the legal sewer capacity and sits in a protected wetland. Please investigate this improper land deal and use your authority to challenge any federal attempts to bypass local zoning, environmental, and public health laws.
3. NYS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION (DEC) Region 3 Office (Chester’s region) 21 South Putt Corners Road
New Paltz, NY 12561
Phone: 845-256-3000
Email: r3info@dec.ny.gov
Website: dec.ny.gov
Authority:
Wetlands
Protected species
Stormwater
Contamination
Hazardous waste
SEQR environmental review
Can halt or deny permits
Message Script for the DEC:
To the DEC Region 3 Office: I am writing to raise an urgent alarm regarding the proposed ICE facility at 29 Elizabeth Drive in Chester. DHS has already issued a notice of activity in a 100 year floodplain. This 400,000 square foot site cannot handle the stormwater or wastewater impact of 1,500 detainees without severely threatening local wetlands and protected wildlife. I am asking the DEC to enforce the strictest possible SEQR environmental review and deny all permits for this ecologically disastrous project.
4. NYS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) Region 8 Office 4 Burnett Boulevard
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Phone: 845-431-5750
Email: r08-info@dot.ny.gov
Website: dot.ny.gov
Authority:
Traffic impact
Road access
Driveway permits
State highway connections
Can deny access to the site
Can initiate eminent domain for transportation conflicts
Message Script for the DOT:
To the DOT Region 8 Office: The proposed ICE detention center in the Chester Industrial Park will create an unsustainable traffic impact and a severe hazard for state highway connections. The local infrastructure was not built for a federal prison camp processing thousands of people. I ask that the DOT review the road access permits for 29 Elizabeth Drive and deny access based on the severe transportation conflicts this facility will create.
5. NYS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH) Corning Tower Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237
Phone: 518-474-2011
Website: health.ny.gov
Authority:
Sewer capacity
Public health risks
Water contamination
Air quality
Hazardous materials
Can block occupancy permits
Message Script for the DOH:
To the Department of Health: The proposed ICE facility in Chester is a massive public health crisis waiting to happen. The Village of Chester has explicitly stated they have zero sewer capacity for this project. ICE wants to increase the site’s occupancy by 1,000 percent, moving from 150 people to 1,500 people, which will overwhelm the Moodna sewer district and create severe water contamination risks. You must block the occupancy permits for this facility to prevent a catastrophic public health emergency.
6. EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT (ESD) 625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12245
Phone: 518-292-5100
Website: esd.ny.gov
Authority:
Economic development approvals
Land use consistency
Eminent domain powers
Message Script for the ESD:
To Empire State Development: The acquisition of the Chester Pep Boys warehouse by ICE is a direct threat to the economic stability of the Hudson Valley. This move takes a prime industrial property completely off the local tax rol offers zero benefit to the residents of New York. I am asking ESD to intervene, review this project for land use consistency, and explore eminent domain to reclaim this property for actual economic development, not federal warehousing of humans.
7. ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT Orange County Government Center 255 Main Street
Goshen, NY 10924
Phone: 845-291-4000
Website: orangecountygov.com
County Executive Steve M. Neuhaus Phone: 845-291-2700
Email: countyexec@orangecountygov.com
Orange County Planning Department
Phone: 845-615-3840
Email: planning@orangecountygov.com
Authority:
Regional planning
Environmental health
Sewer district approvals
Can block sewer expansions
Message Script for Orange County Officials:
County Executive Neuhaus and County Planners: Please continue to hold the line on the Moodna Sewer District capacity limits. It is a documented fact that Chester has exceeded its 347,000 gallons per day allocation. Do not grant any sewer expansions or regional planning waivers for ICE. The county must use every infrastructural roadblock available to stop this project.
8. ORANGE COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT NO. 1 Phone: 845-291-2664
Authority:
Contro hookups
Can deny capacity
Can block the facility outright
Message Script for the Sewer District:
To Orange County Sewer District No. 1: The Village of Chester has already confirmed that there is absolutely no sewer capacity available for the ICE facility proposed at 29 Elizabeth Drive. A 1,000 percent increase in human occupancy at that site is completely unsustainable. I am calling on the district to formally and permanently deny any capacity requests or sewer hookups for the Department of Homeland Security at this location.
9. TOWN OF CHESTER (LOCAL GOVERNMENT) Town Hall 1786 Kings Highway
Chester, NY 10918
Phone: 845-469-7000
Website: chesterny.gov
Town Supervisor Robert Valentine Email: supervisor@chesterny.gov
Town Clerk Linda Zappala Email: townclerk@chesterny.gov
Fax: 845-469-5999
Authority:
Zoning interpretation
Site plan approval
Building permits
Can deny or delay approvals
Can request state intervention
Message Script for the Town of Chester:
To the Town of Chester: We stand with you in fighting this federal overreach. Please strictly enforce the M-1 Industrial District zoning laws and the existing Restrictive Covenants that prohibit residential use and nuisances at the Chester Industrial Park. Do not issue any site plan approvals, building permits, or zoning variances for ICE. Use your local law requiring special permits for the temporary residency of vulnerable people to delay and permanently block this facility.
10. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (WETLANDS) New York District 26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
Phone: 917-790-8511
Website: nan.usace.army.mil
Authority:
Wetlands
Waterways
Fill permits
Can block construction
Message Script for the Army Corps:
To the Army Corps of Engineers: I am submitting a formal concern regarding the DHS proposal for 29 Elizabeth Drive in Chester, NY. This property is located in a 100 year floodplain. Converting this massive warehouse into a detention facility for 1,500 people will require significant infrastructural changes that threaten the surrounding wetlands and waterways. I ask that you heavily scrutinize and deny any fill permits or construction approva by ICE for this site.
11. DHS OVERSIGHT OFFICES (PUBLIC CONTACT ONLY) DHS Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Email: crcl@hq.dhs.gov
Phone: 202-401-1474
Website: dhs.gov/crcl
DHS Office of Inspector General Hotline: 1-800-323-8603
Website: oig.dhs.gov
Message Script for DHS Oversight:
To the Inspector General and CRCL: I am filing a complaint regarding ICE’s acquisition of the Pep Boys warehouse in Chester, NY. ICE is attempting to bypass critical environmental regulations to warehouse 1,500 people in a 100 year floodplain with zero local sewer capacity. This project poses an imminent threat to human life, constitutes a massive waste of taxpayer funds, and ignores documented public health hazards. You must launch an immediate investigation into this acquisition.
12. MEDIA CONTACTS (PUBLIC FACING) Times Herald Record: recordonline.com
Spectrum News Hudson Valley: spectrumlocalnews.com
Monroe Gazette: monroegazette.com
Email: editor@monroegazette.com
Message Script for Media Pitching:
To the Editor/News Desk: Please keep the spotlight on the proposed ICE detention center in Chester. ICE is trying to push through a 400,000 square foot facility in a 100 year floodplain with zero sewer capacity. This isn’t just an immigration story; it is a massive environmental and public health crisis for Orange County. The local government is preparing to sue, and the facility’s connection to billionaire Carl Icahn needs more investigative scrutiny. The public needs you to keep covering this.
13. UTILITIES & INFRASTRUCTURE (PUBLIC CONTACTS) Orange & Rockland Utilities: oru.com
Orange County Sewer District No. 1: (Direct line above)
Message Script for Utilities:
To Orange & Rockland Utilities: The community of the Hudson Valley is deeply opposed to the ICE detention center proposed for the Chester Industrial Park. As a utility provider, you should be aware of the immense infrastructural strain this facility will place on the grid and local resources. We ask that you closely review any commercial upgrade requests for 29 Elizabeth Drive and stand with the community and local government who are fighting this hazardous project.
