KINGSTON, NY – In a letter sent to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) on Friday, New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey is demanding the agency abandon its proposal to open an ICE facility in Chester, Orange County, adding her voice to growing bipartisan opposition in the region. Hinchey’s call comes in the wake of the murder of an American citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis — a killing that has intensified national outrage over the Trump administration’s militarized impunity and lack of transparency in ICE operations.

The full text of Senator Hinchey’s letter to ICE can be found below:

January 15, 2026

To the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency:

I am writing to express my vehement opposition to the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center at the former Pep Boys warehouse in the Town of Chester. I proudly join with a bipartisan coalition of national, state, and local leaders, including Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, State Senator James Skoufis, US Representative Pat Ryan, and numerous local residents, who all agree that this proposal should not move forward.

The “warehousing” language used by your agency to describe the detainment of human beings, and the subsequent mission of this proposal, is dehumanizing, abhorrent, and signals clearly the way your administration views American citizens and immigrants alike. Treating human beings with the same “efficiency standards” as Amazon packages, as described by your own leadership, is morally bankrupt and has no place in our communities. Furthermore, this facility offers zero benefit to residents. It removes a prime industrial property from the tax rolls and will overwhelm local emergency services and first responders. 

As the State Senator for two neighboring counties, a short distance from Chester, I view the proximity of this facility to my district as a direct threat to my constituents, as it drastically increases the likelihood that members of my own community will be targeted, harassed, and physically harmed by your enforcement operations. Your proposal is a threat to the safety, values, and economic stability of Chester and the broader Hudson Valley community. 

Your agency’s effort to normalize horrific acts of violence, including the murder of Renee Nicole Good and dismiss due process, entirely undermines the rule of law and the principles that have sustained American democracy for 250 years.

I urge you to immediately abandon this proposal. We will continue to support the Town and Village boards as they utilize every legal, zoning, and environmental tool available to block this facility. We choose dignity and safety over your federal overreach and state-sponsored violence.

Sincerely,

NYS Senator Michelle Hinchey