A letter sent to the City from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security outlined the agency’s plans to purchase a warehouse on 2800 South Council Road for use as a “processing facility.”
Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper said he is opposed to the facility. He read a sworn affidavit from a witness to the killing of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by ICE agents over the weekend and referred to his constituents in the Asian District.
“We are hard workers, we are compassionate, we believe in public safety. ICE’s presence in our city does not make our neighborhoods, communities, or our people any safer,” Cooper said.
Rev. Lori Walke, a minister at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, spoke to the council.
“I repeat the call for you to draft and share a legal briefing with the public that outlines all legal pathways to disrupt the detention and processing center or others like it from being built here,” Walke said.
In a presentation to the council, city staff said the federal government is exempt from zoning approval, citing Tinker Air Force Base and WIll Rogers International Airport as also being exempt from zoning approval.
However, Ward 7 Councilman Camal Pennington said the City effectively has a ban on non-municipal detention centers and said he would support a resolution asking DHS to use the city’s Special Permit process, which requires public hearings in front of the City Council and Planning Commission.
Pennington also said while the City Council’s ability to prevent DHS from opening the proposed ICE facility may be limited, residents opposed should contact their federal representatives.
“I think it’s important for us to remember where we do have power. And that is with our federal government. Our federal delegation — they fund the Department of Homeland Security. They set the rules for ICE. And I think it’s important for us as citizens to put the pressure back on them to actually hold ICE accountable,” Pennington said.
ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director Tamya Cox-Touré also spoke to the council and said the organization has been working to find a legal avenue to stop the ICE facility from opening since learning of the proposal in December.
“We completely understand your position that you feel your hands may be tied. We cannot accept that position at this time. We believe there are ways — meaningful ways — that you can move forward to ensure that this facility does not happen,” Cox-Touré said.
The City Council will meet again on Tuesday, February 10.
KGOU produces journalism in the public interest, essential to an informed electorate. Help support informative, in-depth journalism with a donation online, or contact our Membership department.
