Oakwood City Council passes resolution asking DHS to stop planned ICE detention center
The city council of a small North Georgia community has approved a resolution asking federal officials to put plans to build a large inmate detention facility on hold.
On Monday night, the Oakwood City Council unanimously approved the resolution, which requested the U.S. Department of Homeland Security immediately stop all planning, construction, and preparations for the 1,500 inmate facility.
"The City of Oakwood was not consulted, notified, or provided with any environmental, infrastructural, public-safety, or operational documentation prior to the federal acquisition, despite the significant impacts such a facility imposes on municipal infrastructure and public safety," the resolution reads in part. It then goes on to say that city officials have requested documentation about the facility, but have not received any details.
In February, city leaders told CBS News Atlanta that they heard about DHS's plan from the Gainesville Field Office of U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican congressman representing Oakwood in the 9th District.
"It feels like we were blindsided and that we've been steamrolled over," City Manager B.R. White said.
Officials say the city of roughly 7,000 residents would have to deal with loss of tax revenue and sewer capacity issues if the facility is built on the site of two warehouses, located just about a mile from Oakwood City Hall.
Documents shared by officials from Social Circle, another Georgia city that DHS wants to build a detention center in, designate the Oakwood area as a "Regional Processing Center," which would house "an average daily population of 1,000 to 1,500 individuals for average stays of 3-7 days."
"These will serve as staging locations for transfers or removals," the document reads.
Oakwood's resolution also requests documentation from DHS and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as urging Hall County officials and those of nearby cities to adopt similar resolutions.