A sprawling new immigration detention facility is planned for Western Maryland, and there appears to be little local officials can do to block it, Washington County said Wednesday.⁠⁠“It is Washington County’s position that decisions about land use are best made locally,” Washington County Government said in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday morning. “However, the legal reality when property is owned by the federal government is clear.⁠⁠“Washington County is not able to legally restrict the federal government’s ability to proceed,” the statement continued, adding that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security “has not notified Washington County that a purchase has taken place.”⁠⁠But public records reveal that the Homeland Security department has indeed purchased an 825,000-square-foot facility and its 53.5-acre property for $102.4 million from a private entity.⁠⁠Link in bio to read more. ⁠⁠Reporting by Ben Conarck, Antonio Planas and John-John Williams IV⁠Video: Jerry Jackson⁠, Stokely Baksh#maryland #immigration #ice #dhs #new