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DHS Drops Merrimack ICE Warehouse Plan After Ayotte–Noem Meeting

Local backlash over costs, secrecy, infrastructure strain made the 400–600 bed proposal the latest warehouse conversion to be shelved.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a press conference to provide an update on border security and drug seizures along the U.S. Mexico border, accompanied by U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks and a Customs and Border Protection official (not pictured), in Otay Mesa, San Diego, California, U.S., February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Republican candidate for Governor of New Hampshire Kelly Ayotte speaks at the New Hampshire Republican Party's First in the Nation Leadership Summit in Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S., October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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Overview

  • Gov. Kelly Ayotte said DHS will not proceed with converting the 300,000-plus square foot warehouse at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway into an ICE processing center with roughly 400–600 beds.
  • Ayotte cited productive talks with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in Washington; DHS confirmed the meeting and said cooperation with New Hampshire on enforcement continues.
  • Merrimack officials and residents mounted bipartisan opposition, warning of about $529,000 in lost property tax revenue and added demands on police and emergency services, which fueled large protests.
  • ACLU-NH records revealed state-agency contacts with DHS, leading to the resignation of Natural & Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart and intensifying calls for transparency.
  • New Hampshire’s congressional delegation filed a bill to require local consent and notice for new ICE sites, as similar warehouse plans have been canceled or challenged in states including Missouri, Mississippi, and Maryland.