OAKWOOD, Ga. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking to sell one of the two Georgia facilities that were at the center of controversy during a push to build new detention centers.
Channel 2 Action News reported when Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased properties in Social Circle and Oakwood to build new detention centers.
The projects stalled amidst changes in strategy at the federal level and pushback from the communities where the at-the-time warehouses were located.
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Now, the facility that was planned for Oakwood is being prepared to go up for sale.
Oakwood City Manager B.R. White tells Channel 2 Action News that the government initially contacted the wrong city, Flowery Branch.
White said Oakwood received a corrected letter Tuesday morning, calling it “welcome news.”
White said the letter about selling the Oakwood facility was “the first direct correspondence that the City of Oakwood has received from DHS/ICE since they purchased the property.”
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Communication over the facility plans was one of the key issues shared by Oakwood officials, as well as Social Circle officials over the facility in their community.
White said he hoped “DHS/ICE follows through with their plan to sell, and the new owners use the facilities as originally intended.”
Channel 2 Action News reached out to Flowery Branch City Manager Tonya Parrish, who also confirmed she had received the letter on Thursday.
She said the mistake of sending the letter to the wrong city was due to ZIP code.
“The facility has a Flowery Branch ZIP code but is in the city limits of Oakwood,” Parrish said.
Accompanying the letter sent to Parrish was the following message from ICE:
“Good afternoon,
U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is proposing to sell its excess property in Flowery Branch, Georgia. This undertaking is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and ICE has determined that the undertaking will result in a finding of <b>No Historic Properties Affected</b>. Please find attached the consultation letter for further details.
Please provide any comments on the undertaking and ICE’s finding within 30 calendar days of the date of receipt of this letter.
Thank you."
— Letter from ICE Sustainability Office to Flowery Branch City Manager Tonya Parrish
Channel 2 Action News reached out to ICE and DHS for comment and is waiting on a response.
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