NH Gov. Kelly Ayotte says plans for Merrimack ICE facility have been scrapped

Tim Dunn, Boston Herald on Feb 24, 2026

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New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte says Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans for a new ICE processing and detention center at a large warehouse in Merrimack have been called off.

“I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack,” Ayotte posted to X on Tuesday, indicating that she spoke with DHS Sec. Kristi Noem during a trip to Washington, D.C. last week.

“I thank her for hearing the concerns of the Town of Merrimack and for the continued cooperation between DHS and New Hampshire law enforcement to secure our northern border, keep dangerous criminals off our streets, and ensure our communities are safe,” she said.

The planned ICE facility sparked controversy in and around New Hampshire, with Ayotte expressing frustration with DHS for an apparent lack of communication on the project to convert the former warehouse into a processing and detention center. The governor also criticized a state agency, in comments made to the New Hampshire Bulletin earlier this month, for not informing the corner office about its communications with DHS and ICE on the planned facility.

“It is entirely unacceptable that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources failed to share this information with the Governor’s office,” an Ayotte spokesperson told the Bulletin. “Clearly, the Department of Homeland Security is actively pursuing the use of this property without communicating with all stakeholders. We will continue to insist on transparency and communication from the Department of Homeland Security with officials in Merrimack concerning this proposed facility.”

Documents obtained by the ACLU included a letter dated Jan. 9 from DHS to the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources listing the various site improvements planned for the property along with other aspects of the project.

“Proposed site improvements may include, but are not limited to, installing, upgrading, or rehabilitating existing parking areas, fencing, site lighting, landscaping, drainage/stormwater, recreation areas, and cameras. Tentage and a guard shack may also be installed,” the letter said.

Drama over the facility spread to surrounding states, namely Massachusetts, after Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement “demanding” that Ayotte “do everything in her power to block” the facility.

“We should be opposing ICE’s tactics, not allowing them to expand. We certainly should not be allowing ICE to build new human warehouses when they can’t be trusted to keep people safe and protect due process,” Healey said. “I oppose this in the strongest possible terms, and I am demanding that Governor Ayotte do everything in her power to block a new ICE facility in Southern New Hampshire.”

Healey continued her now routine criticism of ICE, pointing to the violence-filled operations carried out in Minnesota over the past several weeks and other actions across the country.

“ICE is shooting people dead on the street. Mothers have been ripped from cars and separated from children. U.S. Citizens have been stopped, detained and even killed. Peaceful protestors have been assaulted. Parents are afraid to send kids to school, to go to church, to seek health care and report crimes. None of this makes people safer – it makes us all less safe,” Healey said.

“Now ICE wants to build a new 400-bed facility in Southern New Hampshire to supercharge their horrific deportation tactics in our communities. This will impact people in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and across our region. Enough is enough,” she said.

It’s not clear if Healey’s demands had any influence on Ayotte’s decision to oppose the project.

The 43-acre former warehouse at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack was set to be converted into a new 400-bed detention facility – one of several large-scale facilities the agency is planning to erect across the country.

New Hampshire Democrats voiced strong opposition to the planned detention center when the Merrimack facility was included in a Washington Post report in December on ICE’s plans for facilities across the country.

Gov. Ayotte has been the only New England governor to be publicly in support of ICE and President Trump’s immigration crackdown, signing a law in 2025 that took effect this year banning cities and towns from implementing sanctuary city policies.

The Herald has reached out to Ayotte’s office for comment.

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