Customs office bid roils Burlington [View All]

Source: Boston Globe

BURLINGTON - After dozens of residents denounced the federal government's plan to relocate its regional immigration headquarters here, the Board of Selectmen voted last night to call a special Town Meeting to consider ways to fight the move.

The Department of Homeland Security hopes to open by Jan. 1 a 40,000-square-foot headquarters for Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Detention and Removal Operations, which processes people accused of violating immigration laws and identified for possible deportation. The project is nearly complete. The Immigration Enforcement agency needs to obtain a certificate of occupancy from the town.

After a forum with federal officials that drew about 150 people last night, selectmen responded to calls for action by voting unanimously to plan a special Town Meeting session. The selectmen will set the date of the session Monday. Officials did not know what the warrant would look like, but it could include a request for legal fees to fight the project, or for a detailed explanation of how it was allowed to proceed.

The Customs plan has been developing for more than a year, but many residents and local officials learned about it only recently, prompting outcry at meetings.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/27/customs_office_bid_roils_burlington/