The U.S. Department of Homeland Security applied to renovate a building in New Hampshire to house those arrested as part of the nationwide immigration crackdown that has sparked protests and led to a partial government shutdown.
The proposal for the Merrimack detention center was not known to Governor Kelly Ayotte, who released a statement to New Hampshire media expressing her frustration over the lack of transparency.
“It is entirely unacceptable that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources failed to share this information with the governor’s office…We will continue to insist on transparency and communication from the Department of Homeland Security with officials in Merrimack concerning this proposed facility,” Ayotte wrote.Â
Dr. Nathan Shrader, a politics professor at NEC said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been operating under several previous administrations, but the tactics being used during the last few months have been challenged by citizens and politicians.
“ICE has been around for a while, their operations always have had some controversy to them, but not to the degree where it is inspiring protests and movements around the country,” he said.Â
Protests have been happening all across the state of New Hampshire. On January 29th, students from Concord High School marched to the State House. Protests have also happened in Merrimack, Nashua, Keene Portsmouth, and Littleton.
