The City of Durant addressed rumors that have been swirling in the community about the possibility of the former Big Lots Distribution Center being turned into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.
In a statement on social media, the city said that “officials have reason to believe that a detention center is being considered for the Big Lots facility in Durant. At this time, the City has not been directly contacted regarding this proposed facility. We are currently evaluating the appropriate measures the City should take to ensure the continued prosperity, well-being, and growth of Durant. Further information will be shared with our community as it becomes available.”
Big Lots opened in 2004 on Enterprise Drive, and it closed earlier this year due to financial struggles.
Mayor Martin Tucker said after a city council meeting last week that he thinks rumors are the best way to describe it.
“No one from the federal government or from any other entity involved with or associated with any kind of detention facility has talked to the city,” Tucker said. “We’re hearing things in the community just like everyone else is hearing. We haven’t been asked anything, so we don’t really have anything to say.”
Tucker also said that the building is not zoned for a detention facility.
“If they were to approach us, I don’t know that we have that in our zoning,” Tucker said. “I don’t know that we can facilitate an operation like that. I don’t know that we have a code that points toward having an operation like that within the city limits and so that would mean we would have to basically write for zoning what the conditional use or special use permit, whichever the case may be would have to be done in order to achieve that permit.
“If they do reach out to us then I guess we’ll engage in that conversation at that point, but so far, that hasn’t happened.”
On Nov. 18, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted a 12-hour special emphasis with ICE to disrupt criminal activity and threats to public safety along State Highway 69 in Bryan County, according to a news release from the Department of Public Safety. OHP said they took 76 illegal aliens into custody for immigration violations. In addition to hundreds of passenger vehicle contacts, OHP conducted 160 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspections. Of the CMV drivers inspected, seven legal aliens were cited for violation of the national standard for English language proficiency.
