“Today, Governor Kelly Ayotte announced that the Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Merrimack. ‘During my trip to Washington last week, I had productive discussions with Secretary Kristi Noem, and I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack,’ said Governor Ayotte. ‘I thank Secretary Noem for hearing the concerns of the Town of Merrimack and for the continued cooperation between DHS and New Hampshire law enforcement to secure our northern border, keep dangerous criminals off our streets, and ensure our communities are safe,'” says a press release from the New Hampshire governor’s office.

“‘I appreciated my discussions with Governor Ayotte last week,’ said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. ‘From banning sanctuary cities to strengthening law enforcement cooperation, New Hampshire has been a strong partner in securing our country, and we look forward to continuing our work together,'” the press release continued and no, Noem didn’t actually say that, lol. How and why Ayotte got that attribution is unclear but it sure seems vaguely coerced-y.

The headline above isn’t really that sarcastic or exaggerated. This is a major win and it’s responsive to Granite State voters who don’t want innocent, helpless people interned near them. It’s a hell of a statement on the Trump Regime’s conduct of Stephen Miller’s quasi-genocidal campaign, that in another time or universe where if maybe people were wary or somewhat uncomfortable with having such a facility stood up nearby that they could at least look at it as a boost to the local economy, that there’s be some jobs for locals, ICE agents would spend at retail/dining establishments, etc.

In this world it might as well be a nuclear or bioweapons testing facility with lax security.