City leaders implore feds for local decision on ICE facility

---

OKLAHOMA CITY – City government officials are asking the Department of Homeland Security to respect local processes and approval norms for a planned large-scale detention facility in southwest OKC, and imploring Oklahoma’s congressional delegation for support.

In a letter sent Wednesday and obtained by Free Press, OKC Planning Director Geoff Butler requests that DHS apply for local zoning and approval for a planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center at 2800 S. Council Rd., processes that would require hearings and opportunities for public comment.

In a separate letter obtained by Free Press, Mayor David Holt appeals to Oklahoma’s federal Senators and Representatives for support in convincing DHS to seek City approval for the project, rather than invoking the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause that exempts the federal government from local zoning processes.

“The people of Oklahoma City deserve to be heard on decisions that will directly affect them,” Holt’s letter reads, calling the placing of a major detention center in a heavily populated area of the city “a matter of serious concern.”

DHS plans

The City requests come in response to a letter sent by DHS to the OKC Planning Department in December to inform the City of plans for the facility and to assure that no historical property will be affected, the only notice to the City that the federal government is required to provide.

That letter laid out plans for additions to the existing 400,000+ square foot warehouse that could include fencing, holding cells, a cafeteria, exterior cameras, and a guard shack or tents outside as DHS renovates the property into a “processing center” for ICE detainees that could hold up to 1,500 detainees at a time.

In that letter, DHS welcomed feedback and consultation on the plans from the City of OKC, but is under no legal or regulatory obligation to adhere to City requests.

“The placement of a detention facility is an issue of local interest that would benefit from a public process involving residents,” Butler writes in his letter to DHS, “especially the neighbors of such a facility, which are most impacted and can have their concerns addressed through the public process.”

Those neighbors include an OKC Fire station, and multiple independent businesses, as well as Western Heights High School and Middle School and Winds West Elementary School all within two miles of the planned facility.

Little hope at State level

That area and its residents are represented in the Oklahoma State Senate by Michael Brooks (D-District 44), who told Free Press that he’s been in contact with City leaders about pushing for local approval and for his constituents to have a chance to voice their opinions.

“I pass by that building myself every day on my way to work,” said Brooks, who also works as an immigration attorney. “I’m sure that when people bought their houses around there and when the developer built that warehouse, no one knew it would be used to warehouse human beings.”

But Brooks also said that he agrees with the sentiments of City leaders, who said in an official statement issued Tuesday that regulatory measures and ordinances like that one passed last week in Kansas City are unlikely to effectively preempt a federal project.

“If I thought it would be productive, I would support a measure at the state level, yes,” he told Free Press, “but I don’t see anything legislatively that would stop the federal government in this case.”

With few legal options, City officials, then, are appealing to the federal government to voluntarily respect the standard process, including the City of OKC ordinance that requires special permit approval for any forced detention center.

“While we understand that the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution may technically exempt DHS from having to seek such a special permit, the ordinance exists for a very good reason,” Holt writes in his letter. “We believe DHS should voluntarily apply.”

Item added to City Council agenda

But even if DHS decides to forgo the process that would allow local residents to express their concerns, Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon wants to ensure that they can still make their voices heard.

A late addition to the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting shows “Status Update Regarding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” offering a chance for City staff to discuss the details of the DHS plans and providing an item on which citizens can sign up to speak.

“That way, all of this information can be said in the room and can hopefully give people an opportunity to get on the same page about the constraints that we’re working with,” Hamon told Free Press. “And it also gives Council a chance to ask questions of staff in real time.”

As Vice Mayor, Hamon will be chairing that City Council meeting.

Mayor Holt, City Manager Craig Freeman, and Ward 3 Councilwoman Katrina Avers (in whose ward the planned ICE facility will be) will all be unavailable to attend.

---