OAKWOOD, Ga. — The Oakwood City Council passed a resolution requesting the federal government slow down or halt plans to develop a detention center in or near the city.
The council is asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a stay on the development until studies on infrastructure and environmental and economic impacts are complete, thoroughly.
More than two weeks ago, the federal government purchased land in Hall County to build a detention center for ICE operations.
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City Manager B.R. White told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna the move to build a facility in Oakwood had blindsided him and his colleagues.
As Channel 2 Action News reported, city officials learned about the plan from news coverage, rather than from members of ICE or staff from DHS.
On Feb. 5, city officials put out a statement expressing concerns with the facility plan but still saying the government in Oakwood supported ICE’s mission.
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Oakwood later shared that the facility was sold to DHS near the end of February for more than $68 million, and represented a potential loss of $771,000 in property tax revenue each year, though representatives from the agency said the facility would prove to be an economic boon.
Now, the Oakwood City Council is requesting ICE and DHS slow down the process to ensure concerns are addressed about the facility, even as the development moves forward.
As of the resolution’s passing, the resolution states that Oakwood officials have yet to receive any of the planning studies or documents for the facility, which they believe means the studies have not been performed, or if they have, they have not been shared.
“The proposed facility would consume all remaining municipal sewer capacity, a finite, rate-payer-funded asset, resulting in a documented minimum loss of $4,330,800 in sewer-capacity value,” the resolution says.
The city said it is looking at “all legal options available to protect its residents, infrastructure and public safety resources and requires full transparency from DHS and ICE to assess” the federal government’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and other relevant statutes.
To that end, Oakwood is asking the federal government to halt all construction, planning, contracting, operations or preparations related to the facility until the information is provided to the city.
The city government also said it was “urging and inviting Hall County, the City of Gainesville, the City of Flowery Branch, and all other local governments in the region to adopt similar resolutions requesting transparency, environmental review, and a temporary stay of federal action,” as well as encouraging public advocacy to ensure “lawful, transparent and responsible federal action.”
Channel 2 Action News reached out to ICE about the document status and is waiting for a response.
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