Over the past four months, the SIRDN legislative team has been working on a project related to the Mattydale ICE facility in the Town of Salina. That facility is the hub of ICE activity for a huge part of our region and has made Syracuse ground-zero for ICE enforcement. We have been working closely with the Town of Salina and other allies to research ways to curtail the facility’s operations. Our efforts have been focused on passing legislation that would require inspections and oversight of the facility by the Town, as laid out in the Town Code.
We now know, from planning documents obtained through a FOIL request, that the facility has three detention cells and is operating as a small detention center. In response, we are asking the Town of Salina Board to pass a resolution that would provide oversight for detention facilities in the Town by requiring them to have an operating permit.
What can you do? We are at a critical time. The Town has agreed to put our resolution on the agenda for their next meeting Monday, June 22nd, 6:30pm at the Salina Town Hall. We need to show that they have all our support and that we will all stand together against what ICE is doing to our neighbors.