January 1, Community Outrage Erupts Over Plan to House Migrants in Historic Pennsylvania Building

A community in Pennsylvania is outraged over the potential for up to 1,000 migrants to be housed in a historic Civil War-era orphanage recently used as a summer camp. This building, located in Scotland, near Gettysburg, is owned by a Lakewood, New Jersey-based LLC. Officials in Greene Township revealed that an Indiana-based disaster response organization, USA Up Star, has plans to turn it into a “shelter for refugee families.”

Greene Township zoning officer Daniel Bachman addressed these plans in an August letter, citing that the building’s last use as a summer camp falls under low-density residential zoning. Higher-density uses, such as a migrant shelter, would not be permitted without an appeal.

USA Up Star describes itself as a “service-disabled veteran-owned business” involved in disaster and displacement operations. They are reportedly working with the federal government on this matter.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who previously ran for governor in 2022, has expressed significant concern over the potential housing of migrants in this partially decrepit building. Recent additions to the property, such as an opaque wooden fence, have sparked confusion and speculation among local critics.

Mastriano emphasized that such a move would disrupt the small community of Scotland, which has a population of just 1,300 people. He also pointed out the proximity of Letterkenny Army Depot, a national security-sensitive site, as a potential bureaucratic lever to block the resettlement of migrants.

Greene Township Supervisor Shawn Corwell referred to correspondence and information on their website regarding this matter. In a joint statement, Mastriano and state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg, applauded Greene Township for strictly interpreting its zoning ordinance. The lawmakers noted that while Pennsylvania has no jurisdiction over this issue, they have been actively engaged and are relaying information to Congressman John Joyce.

Joyce has drafted an amendment to the annual Department of Health and Human Services appropriations bill to prevent federal funds from supporting housing for unaccompanied alien children at privately owned facilities.

Franklin County Commissioners Dean Horst, John Flannery, and Robert Ziobrowski have voiced residents’ concerns. The county is already experiencing a housing shortage, and adding several thousand new residents would further strain the market. Additionally, local utilities and county services could be affected, exacerbating existing issues.

Mastriano attributes this controversy to the Biden administration’s open border policies, highlighting previous instances where migrant flights landed in Pennsylvania without local consent. The rezoning for the migrant shelter is described as seeking a “highway commercial” zone designation, once again placing Pennsylvanians in a challenging position due to federal decisions.

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