By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — A proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility slated to open in the southwest part of Oklahoma City will no longer happen, according to the mayor.
Mayor David Holt said in a social media post Thursday that he had met with the owners of the warehouse property at 2800 S. Council Road. The owners were no longer engaged with the federal government about acquiring or leasing the property, Holt said.
“I commend the owners for their decision and thank them on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City,” he wrote. “As Mayor, I ask that every single property owner in Oklahoma City exhibit the same concern for our community in the days ahead.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had previously notified Oklahoma City leaders of its intent to purchase the warehouse property to “support ICE operations” as a processing center that would be used to detain, question and process individuals accused of violating immigration laws.
Holt said the property owners are not residents of Oklahoma. This property is their only one in Oklahoma City, he said.
ICE did not immediately return a request for comment or answer questions about any intent to find other properties for a facility in Oklahoma City.
Oklahomans spent hours on Tuesday at a City Council meeting offering emotional testimony and public comment against the proposed ICE center. Three city council members also spoke out against the facility.
City officials had previously sent letters to DHS and Oklahoma’s federal congressional delegation emphasizing that the city would like the federal government to apply for a special use permit despite the Supremacy Clause making it technically unnecessary.
