MABLETON, Ga. — The Mableton City Council plans to discuss enacting a moratorium on the development of immigration detention centers within the city limits.
The move to discuss, and possibly block, detention facility development in Mableton comes as two facilities are already in development in the metro Atlanta area in Social Circle and Oakwood.
Channel 2 Action News has covered the developments in both cities extensively.
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Currently, there are no public plans for the creation of a detention center by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Mableton.
Still, the city council is set up to discuss the moratorium at Wednesday’s meeting.
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While an ICE spokeswoman previously told Channel 2 Action News that development of these facilities is a positive for the economy, by creating jobs and adding millions in potential gross domestic product gains, Mableton officials are concerned that the opposite will happen.
According to the proposed ordinance, the Mableton City Council finds that the harmful impacts of immigration detention centers include significant, negative impacts on the economy and can damage or overwhelm local and rural infrastructure, particularly water and sewer systems.
City leaders are also concerned that the presence of a detention center in the community could “create a climate of fear and distrust of authorities,” as well as reduce participation in religious, social and economic activities and erode public trust in public institutions, including causing severe or fatal health crises for detainees.
As a result, the city council will take up the moratorium for consideration Wednesday night.
If the ordinance is passed, the moratorium would be in effect through Dec. 31, 2028 to give city staff time to propose or adopt new regulations related to planning, zoning and land use ordinances that may play into a detention center’s construction.
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