SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County leaders supported and blasted a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over a detention center planned for the city's west side.
The lawsuit filed Monday claimed a lack of transparency after DHS purchased the 833,000 square foot warehouse for over $145 million in March, with plans for the detention center to house as many as 10,000 people.
City and county officials said they were not made aware of the warehouse plans beforehand.
“Literally, one morning we woke up hearing about the purchase of a property that wasn't zoned for it, that’s never been zoned for that,” said Salt Lake City Council Chair Alejandro Puy. "We are seeking answers, and this is what this lawsuit states.”
The news of the purchase sparked outrage in local groups and activists, many of whom started organizing weekly protests, and now feel the pushback was worth it.
“I'm just relieved," said Sarah Buck with Salt Lake Indivisible. "I was also like, 'Do something,' because it feels so overwhelming to have grassroots groups coming up against what we are, which is literally millions of dollars.
"I think what it reinforces for me is we, the people, still have the power, and we need to take that power.”
Salt Lake City leaders push back on ICE's plan for large detention facility:
The lawsuit alleges issues focused on sewage capacity, lack of water, poor air quality, and increased traffic — claiming those concerns have not been addressed by DHS and ICE despite local authorities having requested that information.
Republican members of the Salt Lake County Council pushed back on the lawsuit and the council's role in county matters.
"While the Mayor has the authority to initiate litigation on behalf of Salt Lake County, the Council has the responsibility to provide oversight of taxpayer dollars and all matters that could have significant financial implications for county residents," wrote councilmembers Aimee Winder Newton, Sheldon Stewart, Laurie Stringham, Dea Theodore, and Carlos Moreno.
FOX 13 News reached out to the government agencies and received what appeared to be a boilerplate response that DHS officials had previously released.
“As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals," the DHS statement read. "As Secretary Mullin said in his confirmation hearing: ‘I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the President set out… We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners.’"
Activist TJ Young has been protesting the center every Wednesday for 10 weeks and shared her own concerns.
“For the city and the county, often the tools that they have available to them are about the environment, or about the utilities, are about the permitting processes. So, we need them for those tools and those actions that they can take, and for us, we're more focused on making sure people remember these are human beings, and we don't agree with the DHS publicly stated plans to treat people like packages,” said Young.
Young said she will keep protesting until the detention center project is stopped. Puy said the work is far from over.
“Ultimately... we have fewer paths to go follow, and [the lawsuit] is one of those, but our electoral officials on the federal level do have more power," he said. "So, I invite everybody to tell federal delegation, our elected officials at the state level, to make sure that they keep the fire on the administration."
DHS and ICE have 20 days to respond. The case will be heard in federal court.
