CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 More than 50 protesters gathered outside California City Hall Tuesday as the planning commission denied an appeal challenging the city’s approval of a site plan review for its ICE detention center.<\/p>\n
Protesters held signs featuring people who died while in ICE custody, calling for the facility to be closed permanently. Demonstrators came from California City and from across the state.<\/p>\n
Reverend Deborah Lee said:<\/p>\n
“I think that we’re also here to say there is a different way as a country, that we approach immigration. People can go through the courts and have their hearings; they don’t have to be locked up in a cage. We can treat people like human beings. And we believe towns like this in California City, there is another way also.”<\/p>\n
The protest carried into Tuesday night’s planning commission meeting, where an appeal filed by the Dignity Not Detention Coalition challenged the city’s approval of a site plan review for the detention center.<\/p>\n
The coalition argued immigration detention is a different land use that should require additional city approvals.<\/p>\n
The appellant said:<\/p>\n
“Under any interpretation of the ordinance, the approval before you cannot stand. If immigration detention is not an allowed use, then the site plan review minor conflicts with zoning ordinance.”<\/p>\n
City planning staff disagreed, saying the project involved no new construction, no expansion, and met the city’s objective zoning requirements.<\/p>\n
After hearing hours of public comment, the planning commission voted 2 to 1 to deny the appeal, upholding the planning director’s approval of the site plan review.<\/p>\n
The decision came just days after CoreCivic sold the 2,560-bed detention center to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. CoreCivic says it expects to continue operating the facility under its contract with ICE.<\/p>\n
California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins said the change in ownership is not expected to significantly impact the city’s finances, but officials are already looking at options.<\/p>\n
Hawkins said:<\/p>\n
“There is an opportunity to have those discussions of what revenue can be generated still, to sort of make up for any potential losses that the city may have.”<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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