BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. – Bradford County’s plan to convert a vacant warehouse into an immigration detention center has passed its first major step.
The Bradford County Commission voted 3-2 to allow a consultant firm that works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to draft plans for the facility.
If ICE approves the plans, the County Commission will need to vote again to permit ICE to use the property.
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith supports the idea, citing the area’s strong corrections background.
“Well, you look for an area where you have a lot of people with corrections knowledge. Look where we’re at. In this area, probably a 30-to-40-mile radius of Stark, you have everything from 8, 9, or 10 prisons. You have six or seven county jails,” Smith said.
The facility would house detainees transferred from across the U.S., including those arrested for misdemeanor immigration violations, not felony convictions. Unlike many ICE detention centers run by state governments, this one would be operated by the Sheriff’s Office.
“My job is to inform my commissioners if something is being done right or wrong. If I see something, I’m allowed to make noise,” Smith said. “These people need to be treated fairly and respectfully. They’re here and they’re human beings,” he added.
Sheriff Smith also highlighted the economic benefits, noting the creation of more than 1,000 living-wage jobs.
“To me, it’s economic development when you talk about a thousand-plus jobs that are living wage jobs. Not minimum wage jobs,” he said.
However, many residents who attended the county commission meeting expressed strong opposition.
“The ICE detention centers have a bad reputation of how they treat immigrants,” Monique Costantino said.
Fabian Martina added, “The fact that there was a proposal to begin with is absurd. We’ve seen in many jurisdictions how the presence of ICE not only brings down property values where they nest but also brings down morality in the community they terrorize.”
Officials noted that even if the warehouse is converted, the detention center’s operation may not be permanent. It could close if immigration enforcement decreases or if a new presidential administration changes policies.