The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has approved legislation that blocks most detention facilities from the city for five years.
“We want to be proactive with our developments,” said the measure’s lead sponsor, Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier of the 7th Ward. “We want to make sure we’re not always having to respond in real time to things, especially when we’re clear on residents’ values. It’s a clear stake in the ground.”
Mayor Cara Spencer is reviewing the legislation. If she signs it, city departments would not be allowed to take any steps to advance the construction of a non-municipal detention facility such as those used to hold people detained after immigration enforcement actions. Those steps include the issuance of building permits or approval of zoning changes.
Although the bill cannot halt the actions of the federal government, Sonnier said it's important to remember that many detention facilities are operated by private entities under contract with the federal government.
She said she is not aware of any such projects in the city.
The moratorium was inspired by action in Kansas City after reports the Trump administration was eyeing that location for an ICE facility, though Sonnier said the issues go beyond immigration.
“There’s all types of unprecedented criminalization and targeting that’s happening to a lot of our vulnerable groups,” she said. “We’re in a political climate where any population is deemed unworthy, whether that’s unhoused folks, whether that’s folks with disabilities, whether that’s the LGBTQIA population.”
