By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – According to Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, commenting on a Washington
Post report that the Trump Administration is considering an Immigration and Customs
Enforcement detention facility in Merrimack that would house up to 1,500 would be
“speculative, because we have not been notified that is happening.”
Ayotte told reporters Wednesday in her office following an Executive Council meeting that if
this were a real plan, “which I don’t know yet,” she believes there would be a process in
which members of the local community could weigh in, along with the state.
“To me, I need facts,” Ayotte said, adding that her first question is who would staff such
a facility since the state already has a deficit of corrections officers.
A spokesman for Merrimack says the Town Hall is closing at noon on Thursday before a large protest against the ICE facility is planned outside at 5:30 p.m. The Merrimack Town Council will meet at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the town hall, which will reopen in time for the meeting, but only Merrimack residents will be able to speak to the ICE issue, a spokesman said.
Ayotte said: “There are a lot of questions that would have to be raised. To have a sort of speculative thing that the Washington Post writes about, but yet we have no direct information on or any actual plans or proposal? I like to deal with facts.”
Ayotte, who is beginning her second year of a two-year term, also discussed a new grant opportunity to help bolster rural health care. She also is considering what will be her priorities for this legislative session.
She led discussions by noting that New Hampshire was fortunate to be awarded $204 million from the federal Rural Transformation Grant program. The grant will benefit both patients and care providers particularly in rural parts of the state, including Coos County, she said.
LEGISLATION HOPES
Ayotte said some of her hopes for the legislative session, which began this week, include implementation of new housing rules. She said child care is another priority and it would be beneficial to encourage employers to co-locate child care. She added that the highway safety commission has proposals that include new provisions related to driving while intoxicated.
Ayotte said she has not examined all the legislation filed but there has to be accountability to taxpayers at all levels, including at the local level. Asked about legislation related to municipal budget caps and whether she supports super majority votes, she said she has not looked at that, noting that would require a constitutional amendment that would have to go to the voters.