Inspection Reveals Plans For New ICE Office

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. --

From the outside, the new federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement building doesnt appear to be a typical office.

Located at 518 Sixth Avenue West, the building'swindows are tinted and surrounding the parking lot is an 8-foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. But the City of Hendersonville didnt question plans for the site until a zoning inspector took a look inside.

When she did that inspection, she was shown a room that was intended for processing people who are in the custody of ICE agents, said city manager Bo Ferguson.

According Ferguson, the city was aware of who was going to occupy the facility which has been leased by the federal government for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security.

They described it as an office building, adds Ferguson.

Following the inspection, Ferguson and others now believe the federal government wants to use the facility to process or detain people, which is a problem because the property is zoned for office space.

It's a matter of not what they're doing, but where they're doing it, and I do think we can find a more suitable location," said Hendersonville resident Diane Dorsey Pearce.

Pearces doctor is located across the street from the facility, which has raised concerns from nearby medical practices.

Pardee Hospital administration has told the city that the building violates patient safety.

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Inspection Reveals Plans For New ICE Office