New Hampshire

NH governor’s handling of Merrimack ICE facility proposal draws criticism

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

NH governor’s handling of Merrimack ICE facility proposal draws criticism

Plans to convert a warehouse in Merrimack, New Hampshire, into an immigrant processing center are drawing opposition from local officials and some residents, while raising questions about what state leaders knew and when.

The 300,000-square-foot building located at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway could be repurposed by the Department of Homeland Security as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility with up to 600 beds.

Town Manager Paul Macali said local officials were not informed early in the process.

“We have been left out of the conversation, and we’re just trying to get information. It’s been very sparse,” he said.

Macali has also raised financial concerns if the federal government purchases the property.

“If the federal government does buy the building, we’re going to lose $529,000 worth of tax revenue, which is a big chunk of money for the school department and the town,” he said.

Public awareness of the proposal followed open records requests by the New Hampshire ACLU and questioning of Trump administration officials by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat.

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan questioned acting ICE Director Todd Lyons about a planned immigrant processing center, and Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte disputed his public comments.

Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte previously said she had “zero details” about the plans. Her office this week said she has been aware of the intentions since December and had communicated with federal officials.

In a statement, her office said, “Our office has been in communication for weeks with officials at the White House and DHS about this facility to urge that they coordinate with the town of Merrimack and take local input into account before even considering siting a facility like this in New Hampshire.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday the administration is working with governors nationwide, “including in New Hampshire, to open more detention facilities.”

Political analyst Scott Spradling said the governor’s position could be decisive.

“The governor is probably the only voice in New Hampshire that can stop this thing from moving into reality in the town Merrimack, but the question is, will she do that?” he said.

Spradling also questioned whether the governor is aligning her stance with local opposition.

“She has certainly said local voices, local control are most important but we’ve already heard the local voices and the local control folks saying ‘We don’t want this here,’” said Spradling.

Merrimack resident Kaitlin Bernier said she voted for Ayotte and expected a better response.

“We already said how we feel about it, and we don’t want it, and there’s been no response, and that’s very disappointing,” she said.

Bernier and other activists plan to rally at Merrimack Town Hall, demanding input before ICE moves forward.

“We have no new detention centers to announce at this time,” DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement. “Secretary [Kristi] Noem has stated that she is willing to work with officials on both sides of the aisle to expand detention space to help ICE law enforcement carry out the largest deportation effort in American history.”

Macali said he spoke with Trammell Crow, which owns the property, and was told the building has not been sold to the federal government. The company did not return requests for comment.

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New Hampshire

Donna Soucy: The road to 2028 runs through New Hampshire

Published

53 minutes ago

March 7, 2026

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Donna Soucy: The road to 2028 runs through New Hampshire

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New Hampshire

School health insurance rates are increasing across New Hampshire. There’s more at play than just GLP-1 weight loss drugs

Published

13 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

School health insurance rates are increasing across New Hampshire. There’s more at play than just GLP-1 weight loss drugs

Duane Ford has managed budgets for the Bow and Dunbarton school districts for more than a decade, but nothing quite prepared him for this year’s health insurance bill: a 16% jump in premiums, the steepest increase he’s ever seen. “It’s a part of the budget that we don’t have any control over,” he said. The […]

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New Hampshire

NH National Guard activated in connection with Iran war

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

NH National Guard activated in connection with Iran war

The federal government has activated the New Hampshire National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing in connection with the war with Iran.

“I’ve had a briefing myself, a classified briefing, but it’s really important on the messaging on this that we really coordinate with the Pentagon,” Gov. Kelly Ayotte told reporters during a press briefing following Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting.

Ayotte said she was unable to share additional details about the nature of the New Hampshire National Guard’s activity related to the conflict, including how many guard members have been activated or what role they are playing.

“We’re going to respect what messaging comes out of the Pentagon just to make sure that our men and women in uniform are fully protected and that we aren’t providing any information that could be used in a way that would be harmful to them,” Ayotte said.

In a statement Thursday, Ayotte said the unit had been deployed in late February to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of the operation.

Pease Air National Guard KC-46 Pegasus air refueling aircraft in June 2023.

Earlier this week, Pentagon officials confirmed that members of the Vermont National Guard were involved in attacks against Iran over the weekend, though our news partners at Vermont Public were not able to confirm additional details on the nature of the operation.

During the briefing with local reporters, Ayotte also stressed her support for servicemembers and those close to them.

“I have such respect for our men and women in uniform,” Ayotte said. “As you know, I come from a military family, and they have our full support, and we appreciate them and their families, and obviously anyone who is serving right now, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost someone that they love.”

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