Howard County, Maryland, has revoked the building permit for a private detention center that County Executive Calvin Ball said was going to be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs. And the county council has introduced emergency legislation to stop the project.
After a recent inspection and leasing advertisements for the proposed detention center, located at 6522 Meadowridge Road in Elkridge, the county determined “this privately owned building is intended for occupancy by ICE,” said Ball in a Monday news conference.
“The retrofitting of a private office buildings for detention use without transparency, without input, without clear oversight, is deeply troubling,” Ball said. “In this case, the proposed detention center sits in an existing office park in close proximity to health care providers, schools, parks and neighborhoods.”
According to Ball, the county wasn’t aware of specific lease agreements or contracts between the building owner and any federal agency.
The county’s director of inspections, licenses and permits and permits revoked the building permit, Ball said.
Later, Monday, the Howard County Council introduced two pieces of emergency legislation aimed at preventing private entities, rather than government agencies, from operating detention centers in the county.
The council voted to hold an emergency public hearing Wednesday, which could stretch into Thursday, followed by a vote on the bills by the five-person council.
“Since there are four cosponsors on the bill, it is about 99.99% likely to pass,” Council Chair Opel Jones told the audience, which responded with a standing ovation.
Jones asked audience members to “pack the house” for the public hearing, before encouraging participants to be concise in their statements, “so we can get right to the point, and vote this bill in.”
Howard County’s actions comes several days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased a warehouse near Hagerstown, Maryland, raising concerns that it would be retrofitted as an ICE detention center.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
