ICE says they want your warehouse? Make it an uphill battle.
[NOTES for this page]
From James:
Do we have anything from OKC or KC that worked? Anything from them we can add in here?
Direct Resistance to ICE
Because ICE is part of the federal government, they can step past many local and state laws that would halt other entities. So in general, the best way to block or delay ICE is by invoking federal law. For example:
- Environmental Protections (NEPA)
- Floodplain concerns (Hagerstown, MD)
- Toxic chemicals in the area (Romulus, MI)
- Procedural missteps
While federal law offers several avenues for resisting ICE warehouse detention centers, many sites have had success pushing back or eliminating sites altogether by concentrating their efforts on local pursuits, such as:
- Zoning regulations to prohibit ICE from keeping people over night
- Locally-mandated moratoriums on non-municipal detention facilities
- State-level legislation banning warehouse detention centers
- Engaging with local politicians, from commissioners to congresspeople to governors
Building Public Awareness and Support
- Protests
- Social media
- Impact to police, fire and hospital services
- Impact to traffic
- Reputational impact to the town
- Economic impact to the town
- Proximity to other facilities (schools, shopping centers, etc.)
- Water and sewage impact (Roxbury, NJ; Social Circle, GA; Tremont and Upper Bern, PA)
- Infrastructure impact (e.g., Social Circle determining that huge water/sewage trucks would devastate small local rural bridges)
- The raw indignity of storing human beings in warehouses
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