Respect for Local Communities Act

Local approval required for new ICE sites

This bill would stop DHS or any Federal agency from starting construction, purchase, renovation, or operation of a new ICE processing site or detention center until several steps happen. The agency would publish a Federal Register notice open for at least 30 days for public comment that includes the project scope, the agency's due diligence and compliance plans, an economic impact analysis, and an engineering review of waste exportation, water use, and electrical demand. After the comment period ends, the agency head would have to consider and respond to significant comments and sign a written agreement with the site's mayor or county executive (or equivalent), a majority of the local council or commission, and the State Governor. The agency would wait at least 30 days after sending a report and the signed agreement to specified congressional committees before starting site work. The bill would also define which local officials count as the required signatories and which facilities count as "new," including sites that begin holding people on or after enactment and those under the Detention Reengineering Initiative.