(The Center Square) — The embattled head of a New Hampshire agency that failed to tell Gov. Kelly Ayotte about the Trump administration’s plans to convert a warehouse into an ICE detention facility has resigned amid a chorus of calls for her to step down.
Ayotte spokesman John Corbett announced Monday that the governor of New Hampshire, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart, has resigned from her post “effective immediately” at the governor’s request.
In a statement, Corbett said the governor will nominate Adam Crepeau, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Services, to serve as Acting Commissioner at the next meeting of the Executive Council, “while the search for a new commissioner continues.”
The move comes in response to revelations that Stewart didn’t inform the governor about a request from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to convert a 43-acre property in the Town of Merrimack into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.
Ayotte has repeatedly denied any knowledge about the planned ICE facility, saying she reached out to federal officials for information multiple times and received no details.
But documents obtained by the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, released by the group last week, show the state Division of Historical Resources under DES was in discussions with ICE representatives for weeks, afte DHS contacted the agency to inquire if the project was in compliance with federal historic preservation law.
Stewart was grilled by Ayotte and other members of the Executive Council last week, peppering her with questions about why she didn’t inform the governor about DHS’s plans.
In remarks to the council, Stewart took “full responsibility” for failing to inform the governor but pointed out that her agency doesn’t approve projects but only “provides professional, apolitical comments on potential impacts to historical or archeological resources.” She blamed the oversight on a lack of communication.
“Where the process failed is internal notification,” Stewart told the panel. “Division leadership should have elevated this consultation to me because of its potential public sensitivity.”
Rumors about DHS plans for the ICE warehouse have been swirling for weeks. The Merrimack Town Council has passed a resolution opposing the facility, raising concerns about a loss of tax revenue by taking the property off the tax rolls and the impact on municipal services. Protesters have demonstrated outside the property, according to local news reports.
Last week, members of the state’s all-Democrat congressional delegation wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding that she “swiftly acknowledge and respond” to concerns expressed by the Merrimack Town Council about ICE’s plans to establish a new processing center.
Ayotte, a first-term Republican, has been largely supportive of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and signed a law in May banning New Hampshire cities and towns from enacting “sanctuary” policies or limiting cooperation with federal immigration crackdowns.
The state has signed an agreement with ICE allowing state troopers to arrest and detain immigration suspects after they are trained and certified by federal officials.
