TONIGHT: Monday 1/12/2026 City Council Meeting in Chester, NY. Orange County.

A Little Beacon Blog reported on this development for Orange County last week. Both the Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus @steve.neuhaus and Representative Pat Ryan @patryanforcongress were against it:

“ICE ‘Processing Site’ Proposed For Chester, NY ‘Disgusts’ Pat Ryan and ‘Disappoints’ Steve Neuhaus; ICE Likens It To ‘Like Amazon Prime, But With Human Beings’”

A City Council Meeting for Chester, NY is having a meeting tonight. While the topic of the warehouse conversion is not on the agenda, the Daily Voice reports, organizations have rallied people to attend in opposition of the project. “Rural & Migrant Ministry, Inc., a nonprofit based in Cornwall-On-Hudson, announced Sunday, Jan. 11, that it and several immigrant-serving organizations will attend the Chester Village Board meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, to voice opposition to the proposal, in addition to holding a protest before the meeting begins.“

The local news source reports that the meeting has been moved to Chester Senior Center at 81 Laroe Rd. because of the anticipated high attendance. A protest will be held at 6:30pm before the meeting starts.

“According to the nonprofit, one potential site is a warehouse in the Chester Industrial Park owned by billionaire investor and former Trump adviser Carl Icahn,” Daily Voice reports.

Pat Ryan said of the project in a tweet on X: “‘Like Prime, but with human beings.’” That’s how ICE is describing its new facilities, including a proposed location in Chester (which hasn’t been coordinated with local leaders in any way, FYI). It’s disgusting, infuriating, & UNAMERICAN. Our community will not stand for it.”

News12 reported that Neuhaus said he “does not want the county to host a facility that might be holding good, innocent people.”