Ossoff backs bill to require local approval for new ICE facilities
Source: USA Today
April 10, 2026, 2:52 p.m. ET
Senator Jon Ossoff, running for reelection in a closely-watched race in Georgia this year, has joined four other members of congress in backing a new bill that would limit what the Department of Homeland Security can do with new ICE facilities.
The "Respect for Local Communities Act" was introduced in the Senate by Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, and has been cosponsored by Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Democrats from Arizona, and Ossoff.
Georgia was supposed to be home to a Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Oakwood as well as one of the nation's eight projected "megacenters" for detaining as many as 10,000 people in Social Circle. Both projects were met with outrage from their communities, and officials in both parts of the state say they have had little to no contact with DHS, despite the agency relying heavily on their infrastructure.
The plans are currently paused as new Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin reviews policies and plans from his predecessor, Kristi Noem, who was ousted from her position after contentious congressional oversight hearings.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2026/04/10/ossoff-backed-bill-would-require-local-approval-for-new-ice-facilities/89549432007/
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