ICE Footprint Grows in Hyattsville, According to Reports

Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to be expanding its footprint in Hyattsville.

According to a recent WIRED report, “ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next,” the agency is adding over 150 offices nationwide, including expanding a space at the Metro I building at 6505 Belcrest Rd., where it already has a presence.

This aligns with previous reporting by the Hyattsville Wire that ICE was looking for administrative office space within a five-mile radius of the city

Although the Hyattsville Wire could not independently verify the Belcrest Rd. address reported by WIRED, circumstantial evidence indicates that this location is very likely.

First, the building has long been used by local, state, and federal government, including the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, which runs a food pantry and SNAP (food stamp) services there. And part of the building is already on a long-term lease for use as a field office by the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), essentially the ICE prosecutors on immigration cases.

It’s also just down the street from the Hyattsville Immigration Court at 3311 Toledo Rd., where OPLA attorneys have to appear daily.

In addition, WIRED noted that the location is “about an hour and a half from a warehouse DHS recently purchased that ICE has said will be used to detain immigrants.”

The two leases for the current space in Hyattsville — which have federal leasing numbers of GS-11P-LMD00527 and GS-11P-LMD12697 — can be found on the October monthly lease inventory from the General Services Administration.

But starting in November, just after proposals were due, those two leases have their addresses and lessor names removed. Other ICE expansions identified by WIRED similarly have no addresses or lessors on the monthly inventory.

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