Five days after confirming that DHS purchased the Chester property, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman withdrew the allegation.
“ICE has not purchased facilities in Lebanon, Tennessee, or Chester, New York. This statement was made without appropriate approvals and this error has been corrected,” the spokesperson said in a Feb. 18 email to the Times Herald.
The email did not provide further details on the status of the Department of Homeland Security’s planned purchase of the 401,746-square-foot warehouse property at 29 Elizabeth Ave., which is located in a 100-year floodplain in the Chester Industrial Park.
January 8, 2026, at the Warehouse Building, 29 Elizabeth Avenue, Chester.
ICE’s email did repeat previous statements about its aggressive acquisition and expansion of detention facilities and its intent to make arrests across the United States, and also included mug shots of five immigrants it had previously sent and their convictions for various crimes.
“We are relieved that the acquisition has not yet completed, but we are still preparing for the worst-case scenario,” said Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge. “We will continue to oppose the establishment of any ICE facility in Chester. Someone clearly stole the opportunity from ICE and they will continue to do so. Their incompetence and lack of training are on full display.”
behind the scenes
Orange County Clerk Kelly Eskew confirmed that the owner of 29 Elizabeth Avenue remains IEP Chester LLC and that as of 2 p.m. February 18, no deeds had been recorded or received related to the property or Orange County DHS and ICE.
A recent investigation by OneKeyMLS revealed that the property was sold in 2008 for $16,830,000 by Wachovia Dev Corp to IEP Chester LLC, a subsidiary of Icahn Enterprises with ties to Carl Icahn, a former adviser to President Donald Trump.
The DSA Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter organized an ICE Out-of-Hudson Valley rally on February 16, 2026 in New Windsor. More than 200 participants gathered outside the Union Avenue office building in New Windsor, where ICE rented space.
Dark scenes and anxiety in Orange County
Since news of the Chester detention facility was first reported by The Washington Post in December, and the recent discovery of an ICE administrative office in New Windsor, elected officials at all levels in the county have expressed frustration and anger over the lack of coordination or notification they received from the Department of Homeland Security.
Local leaders have expressed strong opposition to a detention facility in the Village of Chester that has exceeded its sewage treatment capacity. On February 5, the Orange County Legislature voted unanimously 21-0 to pass a resolution denying the establishment of an ICE center in Chester.
On January 29, 2026, Chester Township Mayor Brandon Holdrige spoke at a rally against the ICE detention center proposal.
Holdridge wrote a letter citing wastewater treatment capacity, restrictive covenants, environmental impacts and public safety issues raised by the Chester ICE proposal. The letter was signed by 53 officials, including Democrats, Republicans and independents.
Concerned Hudson Valley residents gathered beyond capacity at the Orange County Legislature and the Village of Chester meetings to offer impassioned, tearful testimony and pleas.
They protested in sub-zero temperatures at Chester Commons and outside the New Windsor ICE office in the hundreds.
More: Orange County and state officials react to plans for Chester ICE facility
Goshen resident Steve Murphy, who protested in New Windsor, said he left the Republican Party because he was unhappy with the leadership.
“ICE can work with local police, but they don’t do that everywhere,” Murphy said. “This is not how America should stand or operate, or how people should be cared for.”
This article originally appeared in The Times-Herald: Warehouse in New York’s Orange County not purchased by ICE, according to new statement