Gov. Kelly Ayotte released documents related to the proposed immigration detention facility in Merrimack Thursday evening following a U.S. Senate hearing where ICE director Todd Lyons testified that his agency has been in contact with the governor’s office.
Ayotte denied Lyons’s claim and said her office only received the documents, which include an economic impact study, from the Department of Homeland Security after inquiring about them following the hearing.
“Once the document was received, we immediately shared it with the Town of Merrimack. We are publishing this document on my website for the public to find,” Ayotte said.
The two documents published online break down the impact the site would have on Merrimack’s local economy and provide an overview of the nationwide project dubbed the ‘Detention Reengineering Initiative.’
The initiative “aims to meet the growing demand for bed space and streamline the
detention and removal process” and is estimated to cost $36.8 billion in funds allocated through the Big Beautiful Bill Act. The federal government plans to open all the proposed facilities — 16 processing sites, like the building in Merrimack, and eight large-scale facilities nationwide — by Nov. 30, according to the documents.
The study projected that it will cost $158 million to retrofit the facility at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway and another $146 million to operate it during three years. The retrofitting process would create 1,252 jobs and keeping the facility running would require 265 jobs, according to the documents.
The site is expected to hold between 400 and 600 beds.
On Thursday, Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan that DHS “has worked with Gov. Ayotte, has spoken to the governor about economic impact. We did provide an economic impact summary.”
When asked by Hassan if public opposition has prompted ICE to reconsider its plans for the Merrimack facility, Lyons responded, “No, ma’am.”
Ayotte challenged the director’s comments before Congress in a statement Thursday.
“This is simply not true. Director Lyons’ comments today are another example of the troubling pattern of issues with this process. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security continue to provide zero details of their plans for Merrimack, never mind providing any reports or surveys,” she said.