Sen. Brooks issues statement on ICE detention center in southwest OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Michael Brooks issued the following statement in reaction to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to utilize a southwest Oklahoma City warehouse as a detention center.

“As a state senator, chairman of the Oklahoma Legislative Latino Caucus, immigration attorney, and a proud lifelong resident of South Oklahoma City, I am deeply troubled by reports that ICE intends to open a 1,500-person detention center inside a warehouse near Southwest 29th and Meridian, only three blocks from Western Heights Schools. The facility is owned by an out-of-state developer with no stake in how this impacts our community. The people most affected by this decision are Oklahomans, but our community has had little transparency and no voice. That is federal overreach at its worst.

“Let me be clear – this building was not designed to warehouse human beings. It was designed for storage and logistics, not for long-term human confinement. Detaining hundreds of people in close quarters inside a warehouse raises serious concerns about ventilation, sanitation, public health, and safety. There’s a heightened risk of disease, mental health deterioration, violence, and unrest when large numbers of people are confined in unsafe conditions. And we must consider the safety of surrounding neighborhoods, first responders, hospitals, and local infrastructure. This decision does not occur in a vacuum. South OKC will bear the consequences.

“Even more troubling are reports that ICE may try to buy the entire 26-acre property, signaling that this is not a temporary operation but a potentially permanent detention complex, complete with guard towers and expanded security infrastructure. That fundamentally changes the character of our community.

“There is also speculation that this site could someday revert to local control and become a future location for the Oklahoma County Jail. That possibility alone demands serious public discussion before any irreversible steps are taken. South Oklahoma City deserves investment, opportunity, and dignity and not to become a dumping ground for facilities that no other community wants.

“Immigration enforcement must be lawful, humane, and accountable. It must respect human dignity, community safety, and local voices. Warehousing people in unsuitable facilities does none of those things.

“I call for immediate transparency from ICE, full public engagement, and a halt to any development until our community has a real seat at the table. Our neighborhoods are not expendable. Our families are not invisible. And our voices will not be ignored.”

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For more information, contact: Sen. Michael Brooks: (405) 521-5557 or Michael.Brooks@oksenate.gov