Over 150 residents in Newton County are opposed to the area becoming a location for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility. But, officials claim that there are no current plans for opening any such facility in the area.
Residents opposed to the idea made their opinions known at a meeting at Roselawn’s First Baptist Church on 4 August, organized by a group known as No Roselawn Prison, run by Senate District 6 Democratic candidate, Ryan Farrar, and his father, Nick Farrar, who is also running for District 2 of the Newton County Commissioners. The opposition follows an unsuccessful bid, in 2016, by the Florida-based private company, The Geo Group, to have an 800-bed immigrant detention center spread across 84 acres located opposite the Gary/Chicago International Airport.
The residential group claims to fear that the same company intends to build a detention facility in Newton County, with a zoning change, which would have enabled such a facility being denied by the county’s plan commission just last month. But, county commissions rejected the panel’s recommendation, meaning that 46 acres in the area could be used by a government agency, possibly for a detention center.
Ryan Farrar says that residents are gathering signatures in a petition drive to oppose a detention facility, but Newton County Attorney, Patrick K Ryan, says that no applications are currently on file for any kind of development of the area.