Mableton places temporary freeze on immigration detention centers - Marietta Daily Journal

This week, the Mableton City Council approved a moratorium on immigration detention centers in the city limits.

The moratorium, approved unanimously, prevents or pauses applications for detention center construction, including facilities operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2028, unless the council takes earlier action.

The moratorium, according to Mayor Michael Owens, is to give the city time to conduct studies on the impacts a detention center would have on the city’s infrastructure.

“The last thing we need in this city is to be housing not pallets, but people. We’re not ready for this. We haven’t done the studies necessary. We’re going to have to take the time to make sure that we do that,” he said.

The moratorium applies to requests for establishment, location, operation, permitting, development, expansion or licensing of immigration detention centers. It also covers rezonings, zoning changes, land use permits, construction permits, building permits, plan reviews and other related development approvals, according to the city.

It also states immigration detention centers can overwhelm infrastructure, such as in Los Angeles, where "immigration detention facility related activities are alleged to have resulted in an approximate $840 million loss in economic output."

“This moratorium ensures we take the time to evaluate large-scale institutional uses and understand their impact on our infrastructure, public resources, and surrounding neighborhoods,” Owens said in a statement.

Councilwoman Cassandra Brown said the ordinance is about the negative impacts a large detention center could have on a new city with limited resources.

“This is not about politics. It is about protecting our citizens and the entity that is our city,” she said.

Owens echoed Brown’s comments.

“It is ensuring that as a city, as we grow, we ensure and we know what we’re getting ourselves into with every step that we take forward," he said.

He said issues such as overloaded sewer and water systems occur when a city is not prepared to take on a detention center have already happened in the Atlanta area.

“We’ve seen this in Social Circle, Ga., we’ve seen this in Oakwood, Ga. These are metro Atlanta areas where there are challenges where cities find themselves with detention centers that was never built out to be,” he said.

The moratorium gives Mableton time to evaluate how detention centers could affect surrounding areas, community character and local services.

During public comment, Brianne Perkins, chief of staff for state Rep. Terry Cummings D-Mableton, read a statement of support for the moratorium on behalf of Cummings.

"Mableton is right to pause and ask whether detention facilities reflect the values of dignity, justice and fairness that we expect in a democratic society. A moratorium gives local leaders and residents the time to (examine) the impacts on civil rights, community trust and public safety. At its core, the resolution affirms a simple principle: Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and our community should stand on the side of justice and human rights," she said.

The statement also noted how detention centers across the country raise civil and human rights concerns about due process, family separation and treatment of people.