Homeland Security Infrastructure

The Department of Homeland Security has asked the General Services Administration to approve the emergency demolition of 17 vacant historic buildings on the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Washington, D.C., citing a December 19 security assessment that says they pose "unacceptable" safety and security risks to the developing DHS headquarters complex. Four buildings have already received approval from federal planning bodies, while DHS is now pushing to clear the remaining 13 without the usual historic‑preservation review, arguing the structures could be exploited by intruders or malicious insiders for small‑arms or active‑shooter attacks, even as the National Historic Landmark psychiatric hospital campus is supposed to be preserved under prior plans.