Respect for Local Communities Act

Local approval for new ICE sites

This bill would block DHS or any Federal agency from starting work on a new ICE processing site or detention center that will hold people beginning on or after enactment until certain steps are finished. The agency would publish a Federal Register notice and keep it open for public comment for at least 30 days. The notice would include the project's scope, the agency's due diligence, an economic impact analysis, and an engineering review of waste export, water use, and electrical demand. After comments, the agency would respond to significant comments and must sign a written agreement with the State governor and the local officials (the mayor or equivalent and a majority of the local legislative body). The agency would also send the signed agreement to specified House and Senate committees and wait at least 30 days after that submission before starting the project.