Sign of a Protester in Monument Square, Portland, on Saturday, Jauary 24, 2026.

US District Judge Brendan A. Hurson issued the temporary restraining order at 5;00 pm. Wednesday, siding with the State of Maryland, which sued ICE, the Department of  Homeland Security, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons according to a report from Michael Wriston of the non-profit Project Salt Box received early this evening.

The order halts all construction and renovation at the Willilamsport Warehouse — a property at 16220  Wright Road that the federal government purchased for roughly $102.4 million –  for fourteen days while the case proceeds.

Maryland argued that federal agencies were required under the National Environmental Policy Act to complete either an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment before breaking ground and that officials did neither.  The administration had awarded a contractor more than $100 million to renovate the facility, with work slated to run from March 6 through May 4, 2026.

Judge Hurson found that the state was likely to succeed on the merits, noting that the only evironmental review he could identify was a brief public notice posted to a DHS website about the facility’s location in a floodplain — and that a renovation contract was awarded just one day after that comment period closed.

The state warned of threats to three nearby waterways – Semple Run, Conoccochegue Creek, and the Potomac River — as well as endangered species in the surrounding area.  The facility was slated to hold up to 1,500 detainees.

Defendants must file a status report within 48 hours detailing their compliance with the order.

For background information on the proposed ICE detention center, please read four posts herein on:  March 8, 6, and two posts on March 1, 2026.