A detention center to house immigrants facing deportation could be built in Joliet, according to a published report.
Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas attended a meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., last week to discuss the project, a story in the Chicago Tribune says. The Joliet City Council was briefed on Thanas' plan at its last meeting.
The ICE has been seeking a location near Chicago for the center, which would house several hundred people awaiting deportation for immigration violations, the story said. It would be run by a private company, and would be more comfortable than a jail or prison, the story said.
The 700-bed facility had been proposed by Corrections Corp. of America for Crete, but was shot down by the Crete Village Board in the wake of criticism/opposition from residents, labor unions and immigration activists, the Tribune story said.
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