Hanover County officials pushed back on a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at a public meeting Wednesday night. Those against the project filled the meeting room and the parking lot outside the Hanover County government complex; they welcomed the decision.
Hanover County Board of Supervisors Chair Sean Davis said he and his fellow members did not support the Department of Homeland Security turning a privately-owned warehouse into an immigrant detention facility.
“A facility of this nature would change the character of the area, place unplanned demands on public services, including public safety, as well as reduce county tax revenues by $1 million annually,” Davis said as the meeting opened, reading from a joint statement approved by all BOS members. “However, future revenue losses are likely to be significantly higher.”
Davis and fellow board members also cited a failure by the federal government to respond to additional questions since first hearing about the proposal last week.
Davis compared the project to Pamunkey Regional Jail, already located within Hanover County.
“We worked diligently on an appropriate location that would not be visible to the general public and is away from our economic development zones,” Davis said. “Simply put, a DHS facility on Lakeridge Parkway is not consistent with the business, residential and commerce area.”
And while Davis admitted there was little the county could do to stop the project, he still hoped DHS would withdraw the idea.
And once news of the board’s view hit the throngs of protestors outside the facility, the crowd went wild.
The scene outside after the disapproval news reached protestors. https://t.co/pbYJDBI5Dw pic.twitter.com/6JfxsLHQ0H
— BK (@BradKutner) January 28, 2026
Among those who welcomed the news was Richmond native and RVA Indivisible organizer Lauren Natale.
“Richmond has transformed and Hanover has transformed alongside it. And I am so heart warmed to see that it is going the correct way,” she told Radio IQ.
Back inside the meeting, Ashland resident Jennifer Young said she was deeply concerned about the proposed project.
“I support the principles set forth in our constitution which ensures due process for all and is meant to afford everyone in this country equal justice under the law, whether or not they’re citizens,” Young told Board members as part of public comment.
But not everyone was against the idea.
"I support the proposed ICE warehouse," Ashland resident Tina Steenburgh told the board. "Please stand in unity with this country to keep us safe from violent criminals."
The protest also highlighted the sense of community folks hoped to see spread instead of mass incarceration.
“I have a ton of first hand experience working with immigrants,” Kevin Tate, a Short Pump-area chef who baked hot cocoa and Thai milk tea biscuits to bring on the chilly weekday night.
“I can’t tell you how it upsets me every single day,” he said of ICE’s haphazard strategy of detainment. “I don’t know what the future looks like but it can’t look like this.”
Maybe hot cocoa and biscuits is a start.
