ATLANTA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities could stop popping up in Georgia if one state lawmaker gets his way.
State Sen. Jaha Howard, a Democrat, announced a bill aiming to ban the use of state-controlled funds and tax incentives to create more ICE detention centers.
“Georgia families want safe neighborhoods and secure borders,” said Howard. “What they do not want are massive detention warehouses placed in their communities without transparency, environmental safeguards, or local consent.”
Channel 2’s Candace McCowan reports the legislation comes as ICE says it will boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds.
Channel 2 Action News reported last week one detention center is coming to Social Circle while a processing center may be coming to Oakwood.
ICE is saying large-scale detention facilities can house 7,000 to 10,000 thousand detainees for periods averaging less than 60 days.
We knew that they were entertaining and looking at Social Circle and talking with the local mayor and local officials down there, they don’t feel that it was a very good fit," said U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican
U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, also a Republican, said of the Oakwood center that it “will be a safe and prosperous addition to the Ninth District.”
Councilmember Helen Zenobia Willis from South Fulton is also introducing a city resolution: “That the city should not provide zoning approvals, land, or logistical cooperation for these detention facilities.”
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