Northampton County Exec Tara Zrinski is calling on developers to refuse to lease any warehouse or industrial space to either the federal government or its contractors for immigration detention. The letter, which I've reproduced below, appears on her Substack page as well as a petition at Change.org that you can endorse as well.
County government has nothing to do with local zoning, so I see nothing improper about Zrinski's letter and share her sentiments. I added my name. But I would caution municipal officials who review zoning applications against signing Zrinski's missive. Zoning must provide for all legal uses. Refusal to do so is consider exclusionary zoning and pretty much guarantees that the use will have to be allowed. Moreover, if a municipal official has to decide on a zoning request for a federal detention center and has publicly opposed it before it was ever presented, he can be accused of bias.
To our Partners in Economic Development, Industry, and Real Estate,
As a County built upon the strength, fairness, and perseverance of its people, Northampton County has long prided itself on being a community that values human dignity above all else. I am writing today to ask for your partnership in upholding those values by refusing to sell or lease warehouse or industrial space to the federal government or its contractors for the purpose of immigration detention.
Across the nation, we have seen the devastating effects of detention facilities that treat human beings, many of whom are asylum seekers or long-term residents and, on occasion, U.S. citizens, as commodities in a system more concerned with expansion than with justice or safety. While immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, the moral consequences of enabling the current oppressive version of that system to operate freely in our County will ripple through our communities for years to come. When property in our County is used for immigration detention, it does not happen “elsewhere.” It happens here, in the warehouse developments we drive by every day, in our name, under the shadow of our shared community.
As County Executive, I believe we have a moral obligation to ensure that our economic development strengthens lives rather than diminishes them. We have the power and, therefore, the responsibility to prevent harm when it is within our reach to do so. Leasing or selling property for detention purposes directly supports a practice that separates families, criminalizes poverty, and devalues the basic humanity of our neighbors. That is not the legacy Northampton County intends to build upon and not the way this Administration is determined to govern.
Furthermore, I refuse to pretend that the quiet acquisition of warehouse or industrial space in Northampton County is a neutral act. It is likely only the beginning of something far more troubling. These facilities could enable ICE and its partners to conduct operations that bring fear and intimidation into the heart of our neighborhoods, changing the character of the place we call home. Imagine driving down the street with your child in the back seat and suddenly finding yourself in the middle of an ICE raid, surrounded by masked and armed officers. Imagine a community where our neighbors, our children’s classmates, co‑workers, and local business owners simply disappear, or remain shut inside because they are afraid to step outside their doors. Imagine detainees—men, women, and children—kept in unhealthy spaces never designed for human habitation, with no real privacy, limited or non‑existent health care, and inadequate food and water. Imagine the Lehigh Valley International Airport, where families begin their vacations, becoming a staging ground for detention and deportation flights, with people in handcuffs, chains, and leg shackles. Imagine a county marked by constant, noisy, and sometimes violent confrontations between protesters and authorities. This is neither the Northampton County I was elected to serve nor the County I wish to imagine. We must recognize how profoundly such a reality would damage our way of life, undermine our economy, and fracture the sense of community and shared humanity that holds us together.
Therefore, I urge every developer, broker, and property owner to reflect on the moral and civic implications of such decisions. Participation in the expansion of immigration detention stands in direct conflict with the principles of justice, compassion, and inclusion that define our County. Beyond potential reputational and economic risks, there is a deeper cost, and that is the erosion of public trust and the betrayal of the ethical standards that have guided generations of Northampton County residents.
Our region’s story has always been one of cooperation and courage, choosing the harder right over the easier wrong. We need to continue that tradition now. In refusing participation in the detention industry, you affirm that Northampton County’s growth will never come at the expense of human dignity. Together, we can ensure that our development policies align not only with sound economics but also with moral clarity and respect for every person who calls our community home.
With gratitude and resolve,
Tara M Zrinski
County Executive
Northampton County, Pennsylvania
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