The Salina Town Board Monday night approved a largely symbolic measure that takes a stand against the ICE facility in the Mattydale neighborhood. More than 150 people packed town hall to show support. While the facility served as an immigration office under the Biden administration, activists say they have documents showing that hundreds of people have been detained there since January 2025 when the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement. Zettie Young told the board they're justified in requiring an operating permit. She's running for 4th ward Salina Councilor.
“We are now aware that we have a detention facility here," she said. "And I'm asking the board, please pass this resolution so we can do something about it now.”
“No one is above the law," said Lucas Lasiege, a Salina resident and frequent presence at No Kings rallies. "So I'm calling on all of you guys today to pass a resolution that allows inspection of that facility and holds that facility accountable because we do not want ice in our communities.”
But some, while supportive of taking action, warned the board about properly vetting the resolution.
“Any action tonight on this agenda item would be performative and make Saina look like they don't know how government works," said Stacy Wilson. "Instead, I request that the town board pursue effective action, to regulate this facility by cooperating with the county and the state.”
Supervisor Raul Huerta strongly sympathized with the concerned residents, but also questioned if town government has the sole authority to step in.
“Now, what if we sent the codes officer out there and said, 'We'd like to talk to you,' and they said, 'You can't come in here,'" he said. "We need something that the state would support and the feds and getting our congressmen, our senators, all of those people to enable access.”
Board member Page Steinhardt agreed, but also didn't want to sit by and stay silent.
“It did not look like this is something that actually had any teeth," he said. "There are layers of government above us that have jurisdiction that we really can't do much about. But we are at an inflection point in history that if you say nothing, you do nothing, you are giving consent.”
While the measure is largely moot, it does put the town the record opposing the ICE facility and might get the attention of state leaders and congressional representatives.
