A new investigation from Hagerstown Rapid Response and Washington County Indivisible raises urgent questions about transparency, accountability, and a potentially broader federal playbook.

In December 2025, members of the Washington County Board of County Commissioners signed non-disclosure agreements tied to a major property deal. Within weeks, a property in the county was revealed to be the site of a proposed ICE detention facility connected to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Our reporting connects the timeline between the NDAs, the property transaction, and the public rollout of the ICE warehouse plan, raising a central question: were elected officials restricted from informing the public about a highly controversial federal project already in motion?

Read our full blog post here: https://blog.hagerstownrapidresponse.com/p/non-disclosure-agreements-on-a-secret-land-deal-weeks-later-an-ice-facility-was-revealed