DHS won't say what's next for proposed Hanover ICE facility

The Department of Homeland Security won't say whether it's moving forward with plans to open an ICE facility in Hanover.

Why it matters: The Board of Supervisors in the staunchly red county urged DHS to find another location earlier this week, citing land-use and revenue-loss concerns.

What they're saying: In response to an Axios query about its plans for the Hanover project, an ICE spokesperson said:

• "It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space."
• "We have no new detention centers to announce at this time," the spokesperson added.

Catch up quick: DHS officials told the county in a letter last week that they intend to buy a private warehouse in Ashland near Bass Pro Shops to support "ICE operations" and use as a holding and processing facility.

• At a packed Wednesday meeting with hundreds of anti-ICE protesters inside and outside the building, Hanover supervisors unanimously opposed the project — though not because of immigration policy.

Zoom in: Warehouse owner Jim Pattison Developments, based in Canada, said in a statement that it wasn't aware of the intended property use when it accepted the purchase offer.

• The sale isn't finalized yet, per the developer. Hanover was expected to assess the property at about $50.5 million this year.

Between the lines: It's too early to tell whether anything might change, but technically it could.

• Hanover officials still have a few weeks to formally respond to DHS's letter.
• They're working to coordinate with Virginia's congressional delegation to "assist with ending plans" for this proposal, per a statement.
• And the board is directing the county attorney to "evaluate the County's legal options."

Yes, but: The decision is almost entirely up to DHS, and the county has little power to tell it what to do.