FORTY FORT, PA — The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority has officially begun receiving rental payments from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for office space leased inside the authority's Wyoming Avenue headquarters.
The authority board voted Tuesday to approve a lease amendment establishing an effective start date of Sept. 1. Under the terms of the agreement, federal officials are paying approximately $30,000 annually to lease 1,700 square feet of space for a three-year period, with an option for a two-year extension.
Despite public opposition raised by area residents during municipal meetings last year, authority officials clarified that the facility will strictly house administrative offices and will contain no detention or holding capabilities. Additionally, Forty Fort Borough officials previously noted that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel operating out of the site will focus on complex criminal investigations—such as human trafficking, cybercrime, and narcotics smuggling—rather than civil immigration enforcement operations.
According to authority representatives, no timeline has been established for when federal staff will formally occupy the building.
The federal government is covering all costs associated with retrofitting the office space. As part of a separate agreement approved Tuesday, the federal government will reimburse the flood authority $422,710 for completed renovation work.
Authority board members emphasized that leasing the surplus real estate was purely a business decision aimed at generating supplemental revenue. Revenue generated from the agreement will help offset operating costs for the Wyoming Valley Levee System, which provides flood protection for approximately 100,000 residents across 12 Luzerne County municipalities.
