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Connecticut legislators proposed new legislation yesterday that would require municipal approval before a commercial warehouse could be repurposed for the housing or shelter of people detained by the federal government.
The Planning and Development Committee introduced H.B. No. 5505 in what appears to be an end run around the federal government's plans to retrofit commercial warehouses into immigration detention centers.
The bill would require a permit from the municipality in which the warehouse is located in order to use it to house or provide shelter to any individual for a period exceeding 24 hours.
Municipalities would be required to hold a public hearing on any permit within 180 business days after the submission of the permit application.
Permit applicants must demonstrate that each individual to be housed or sheltered in the commercial warehouse shall have continuous access to sanitary restrooms and showers, potable drinking water, appropriate sleeping accommodations, heat and cooling and storage space for personal belongings.
Applications would have to follow all applicable codes, and provide a minimum of 200 square feet of space per person housed.
There is an opt out provision for municipalities, as well as an exception for emergencies or major disasters declared by the Governor.
Municipalities could also revoke or suspend a permit in the event of a violation. Permit holders may be required to provide written evidence of compliance. Evidence of compliance can also be obtained through an inspection by the zoning enforcement officer, any public health official or any code official employed by the municipality.
State Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, the House chairwoman of the Planning and Development Committee, suggested the proposed legislation was more about setting the stage for converting warehouses into housing, but admits it would impact ICE's plans too.
"I think there is good reason to be concerned," DeGraw told CT Insider.
She indicated that a number of citizens expressed concern over the possibility of ICE detention centers in Connecticut.
That's probably because progressive activists led a campaign to contact local state legislators to tell them to say no to ICE detention centers in Connecticut.
The activists are supporting a Maryland-based effort called "Project Salt Box" which was featured on the Rachel Maddow show. The organization is tracking purchases of warehouses and communicating that information to legislators.
Now Maryland is considering a bill (HB 630) to prohibit the operation of ICE detention facilities in warehouses, and the Connecticut activists want to follow their lead.
The Indivisible-aligned group based in Westport, ReSisters, drafted a sample letter to send to Connecticut legislators. Here is an excerpt:
"We do not want Connecticut to be the home of one of the federal government’s detainee warehouse operations. In addition to the moral outrage most Americans already feel, given the lack of due process afforded the detainees, localities would be adversely affected. Specifically, a locality’s water, electricity, roads and sewage facilities would all be facing heavier utilization. In addition, these detention centers will also result in the loss of tax income because the businesses that were in those warehouses will no longer be generating revenue."
The letter encourages legislators to "take proactive measures" in order to "prohibit the operation of immigration detention facilities in structures not originally designed or constructed for housing or detaining people."
Of course the Indivisibles never talk about how "a locality’s water, electricity, roads and sewage facilities" are "facing heavier utilization" because of the nearly 200k illegal immigrants estimated to be living in the state of Connecticut!
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