Rep. Wendy Thomas, D-Merrimack, speaks to the crowd gathered at the Merrimack town hall on Saturday. ZACH LAIRD photo
By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org
MERRIMACK, NH — Hundreds of community members braved the cold and snowy weather on Saturday afternoon at town hall to protest the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway.
By noon, the area outside town hall was filled with people lining both sides of the street, holding up colorful signs such as: “Human rights are for everyone,” “ICE bringing terror and cruelty to a community near you,” and “We dumped tea for less.”
The protest was organized by No ICE NH, a grassroots coalition of organizations that “works together to protect our immigrant neighbors,” and is committed to peaceful and nonviolent action, according to its mission statement.
Rep. Wendy Thomas, D-Merrimack, spoke before the charged crowd and noted the facility would cost the town $529,000 in lost revenue every year. She added that is money that “should support our schools, our roads, and our public services.”
Thomas explained that across the country, detention centers run by ICE have been repeatedly exposed for abuse, neglect, and inhumane treatment. She said people have reported physical violence, sexual abuse, and medical neglect inside the facilities, and that some detainees have died in custody.
“This decision will define who we are, not just as a town, but as a state. Merrimack should not become the place where suffering is hidden behind fences and contracts. New Hampshire should not become the state that welcomes this. For our taxpayers, for our infrastructure, for our democracy, and for our shared humanity, we must clearly and firmly say, ‘No ICE detention facility in Merrimack. Not now, not ever,’” Thomas said.
Attendee Marc Nozell said, “I live in Merrimack, and I strongly disagree with having ICE in our town. It’s going to have an impact on our finances — and of course there’s the humanitarian angle to this — with the people that are sick and have died in ICE detention; that’s just inhumane… It’s not a good reflection of our town, (so) people moving here might give it a second thought.”
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has been criticized for not offering her opinion on the detention center. She also raised questions about what she knew about the plan and when she knew it, insisting publicly until Feb. 4 that she had received no notice from top federal officials. The plan was first mentioned in a Washington Post article in late December 2025.
Ayotte didn’t responded to emails from InDepthNH.org seeking comment.
Carl Mattaliano said he felt that attending the protest was the right thing to do. He noted that while he’s unsure if the community’s efforts to oppose the facility may change the final outcome, people need to at least voice their opinion.
Attendee Carol Martel said she’s infuriated that the process for the ICE facility has moved along so quickly while the community had no idea of what was going on.
“What I think infuriates a lot of us is the fact that they (ICE) are housing people off the street without due process. That’s the bottom line… The Governor (Kelly Ayotte) has done nothing, our town leadership is busy trying to catch up because they’ve been kept in the dark,” Martel said.
Organizer Ken Barnes said the goal of the protest is to show that “people in New Hampshire will not stand for an ICE concentration camp in our state.”
Kim Herdman Shapiro, who handles media for No ICE NH, stressed the proposed ICE facility isn’t just an issue for New Hampshire, but for all of New England. She said she’s found that in a town that’s very Republican that a lot of people are supporting the cause.
“Republicans and democrats are coming together and saying, ‘We don’t want this in our town,’” Herdman Shapiro said.