Federal officials want to create a small-scale, 24/7 immigrant detention facility at the federal courthouse in downtown Rochester, according to documents reviewed by WXXI News.
The project could be awarded as soon as Friday to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
That directive and deadline is attributed to Edward Forst, administrator of the General Services Administration, which oversees federal property. Forst's decision apparently caught local officials off guard, and was made despite concerns and objections raised by federal court administrators and others in the building, records show.
The Kenneth B. Keating Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on State Street houses federal courts but also a U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and a daycare. The plan, documents show, would be to move border patrol into Keating and create three holding cells, able to house detainees overnight and potentially for several days.
That contrasts with a prior CBP building assessment back in 2021 that indicated, at best, people might only be detained for a few hours and released on their own recognizance, records show.
WXXI News reached out to GSA and CBP for comment. In a statement, a GSA spokesperson responded that the agency “is committed to working with all of our partner agencies to meet their workspace needs. GSA remains focused on supporting this administration’s goal of optimizing the federal footprint, and providing the best workplaces for our federal agencies to meet their mission.”
The agency did not address questions about how or if local concerns were addressed, whether other facilities have been or are being considered, or a timetable for buildout. CBP did not immediately respond.
Democratic elected leaders have fired back at the proposal.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has offices in the building, criticized the move in a statement released after this story published.
“It is outrageous and absurd for Border Patrol to secretly try to build a detention center in the heart of downtown Rochester," he said. "The Keating Federal Building is home to a daycare, the federal courthouse, and vital services Rochester families use every day. It is the wrong place for that kind of operation. We need immediate answers on what exactly DHS and Border Patrol are planning, and an opportunity for public review and input. The Federal Western District of New York Court opposes this plan, and for good reason. The public deserves transparency and the ability to make their voices heard. This shows you exactly why DHS must be reined in.”
Congressman Joe Morelle, D-Irondequoit, also weighed in, criticizing the "secret" process, and blamed President Donald Trump for "a pattern of creating and escalating combustible situations and the forcing communities to deal with the fallout." Mayor Malik Evans soon followed with his own statement, saying: "To attempt this clandestine repurposing of this location without local input is inexcusable."
State Assembly member Sarah Clark, D-Rochester, worked in the building for 20 years in the offices of then-Sen. Hillary Clinton and, more recently, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. And her children were in the daycare for 10 of those years. She called the project "terrifying," questioning the rationale for bringing added attention to the building.
For parents, she said, "security has been a concern off and on. This is going to take it to a whole new level," going beyond interior security to the charged political discourse and protests surrounding immigration enforcement.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
