On Tuesday, Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced that the Department of Homeland Security's plans to construct an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Merrimack, N.H., have been scrapped, according to a state press release.
Ayotte previously released documents confirming the construction of a “processing facility” at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway in Merrimack on Feb. 12. The site would have acted as a temporary detention site and was part of a larger nationwide initiative to create a long-term solution for mass deportations, according to an “ICE Reengineering Initiative” published by Ayotte’s office.
The proposed facility would have cost $158 million to build, and would have housed between 400 and 600 detainees, according to a “Merrimack Economic Impact Assessment” published by Ayotte’s office. Merrimack residents have been aware of plans for an ICE facility in the town since the Washington Post leaked internal DHS documents in January.
In her press release on Tuesday, Ayotte said the cancellation followed “productive discussions with Secretary Kristi Noem” during a visit to Washington, D.C.
“I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack,” she said. Ayotte did not indicate whether her meeting precluded the construction of a facility in another town.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, State Rep. Rosemarie Rung, D-Merrimack, said that she felt a “wave of relief” upon hearing Ayotte’s announcement. She added that she thought Merrimack residents had influenced the DHS’ decision by “swamping the governor’s office with phone calls and emails.”
“I don’t think it’s really as much to our credit as it is to just the regular people that stepped up,” Rung said. “That gives me so much hope for our state and our country to see the people take their power. All of these individual actions made this happen.”
State Sen. Daniel Innis, R-Bradford, said he did not think the cancellation was caused by the protests in Merrimack.
“We see protests all the time, and I don’t think they have a direct impact most of the time on what elected officials do,” Innis said. “The big issue with [Merrimack] was its location, and probably its size of 400 to 600 people.”
Innis said he thought that Ayotte had handled the situation “very appropriately and very professionally.”
“She went to D.C., she talked to DHS,” Innis said. “I [have] got to give the governor a lot of credit for the way she handled this.”
Dartmouth Democrats president Quinn Allred ’26 called the cancellation a “massive win.”
“This was an incredible win for every single person who protested, for every single person who shared on social media,” Allred said. “This shows that democracy works when you make it.”
Allred added that he thought the protests in Merrimack should be a “template” for protests across the country.
“We have to learn from other communities who have won,” Allred said. “We have to take the wins where we can.”
