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Residents press Columbia council for transparency and guardrails after reported ICE field office lease
Summary
Dozens of residents and advocates urged Columbia’s City Council to demand disclosure and limits on cooperation with an apparent DHS/ICE field office lease, calling for judicial‑warrant requirements for local cooperation, protections for city services, and clearer public notice; council said it is fact‑finding and constrained by state and federal preemption.
An extended public‑comment period at the Columbia City Council meeting focused on a reported Department of Homeland Security/ICE field office lease and prompted repeated calls for transparency, limits on use of city resources and protections for immigrant residents.
Speakers representing neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations and religious institutions asked the council to require disclosure when outside agencies request city cooperation, to prohibit use of city databases and facilities beyond legal requirements, and to forbid participation in…
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