Work to build out a Maryland immigration facility can continue after a federal court reinstated the construction permits.

Genesis GSA Strategic One LLC, a Michigan-based federal contractor, was nearly finished building out a facility in Elkridge, Maryland, for the Department of Homeland Security when Howard County revoked its permits in February, citing a Maryland law. The planned facility included office space for DHS employees and a small space for temporary holding cells.

Genesis sued Howard County in March.

A federal judge on Monday found that Genesis was likely to prevail on its claims that applying state law to revoke the permits violated the Constitution's supremacy clause, which says local laws can't supersede federal ones. The court issued a preliminary injunction reinstating the permits and blocking the county from enforcing the Maryland law against the facility.

“Genesis has shown a likelihood of success in proving that [the Maryland law] was applied to the Elkridge Property in violation of the Supremacy Clause and that it will be irreparably harmed without injunctive relief,” the court said. “The balance of equities and public interest support a requirement that the government correct its likely unconstitutional acts.” 

A General Services Administration spokesperson told Bisnow that the agency doesn't comment on active litigation. Genesis and Howard County didn't respond to requests for comment. 

The Trump administration has been rapidly ramping up immigration enforcement activities. In the first seven months of 2026, ICE arrested 238,000 people, according to The Washington Post. Between April and July, the number of immigrants in detention facilities rose from 60,311 to 65,765, according to Trac Immigration.

At the same time, the federal government has accelerated its efforts to open new detention centers across the country. In February, the administration announced it would spend $38.3B acquiring warehouses and turning them into detention facilities. It has since reversed course on some of the facilities but is now funneling billions of dollars into private prisons to turn them into immigration detention centers.

The Elkridge case revolved around a 2022 award Genesis received from the Biden administration to purchase, renovate and lease back a 30K SF facility to replace an existing DHS site in Baltimore.

Genesis obtained the permits for the Elkridge facility in February and August 2025. The county allegedly revoked the permits on the basis of a 2022 Maryland law that requires a 180-day notice period and two public comment meetings for private companies seeking permits to build out immigration detention facilities in the state. Elkridge didn't go through that notice and comment period. 

The vast majority of the Elkridge facility was to be set aside for office space for DHS, with 1,100 SF set aside for temporary holding cells and a shower. The court said that by the time Howard County revoked the permits, Genesis' work was more than 90% complete, and the facility was set to be turned over to the federal government the next month. It also said Genesis had spent more than $21.7M on the acquisition and renovations of the facility.