The federal government has abandoned plans to turn two warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties into immigration detention centers. The DHS had announced plans in January to house 9,000 people at the former warehouses in rural Pennsylvania. The controversial project faced opposition from local residents and advocacy groups. Shapiro had opposed the conversion of the facilities into detention centers because of the large volume of water needed, which he said would have impacted local residents and the environment. “From the beginning, I’ve been clear that these warehouses should not be used as ICE detention centers because they are not suitable for people and converting them to detention centers would have posed serious risks to the health, safety, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities,” Shapiro said in a statement.