The topic of a rumored ICE detention facility is not on Wednesday’s meeting agenda, but Woodbury City Council members are aware that community members and legislators will speak on the matter during the open forum, according to the city.

Woodbury Mayor Anne Burt on Wednesday afternoon issued a statement saying that city staff had “verbally confirmed” that the property in question — located at 11435 Hudson Road — “is not being sold or leased to the federal government or agents acting on their behalf.”

“Representatives of the property also confirmed to city staff that the future use of the building will not be an ICE Detention Center,” Burt said. “As in all real-estate transactions, private property owners hold the initial decision-making authority regarding the future use of a building. With this information, we can publicly confirm that the rumored location in Woodbury will not be an ICE facility.”

Leaders from Indivisible Twin Cities, Woodbury and Washington County officials and community members are holding a press conference at Central Park in Woodbury, 8595 Central Park Place, before attending the Woodbury City Council meeting to share their opposition to a detention center with the council.

Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (Courtesy of Hemmingsen-Jaeger )

“We’re looking forward to a peaceful gathering,” state Rep. Amanda Hemmingson-Jaeger, DFL-47A, said. “We want a safe space for people to have their voices heard and to make sure that our city, county and state elected officials know where the community stands so that we can represent them.”

Speakers include St. Croix Valley Indivisible leader Martha Winslow, Hemmingson-Jaeger, Washington County Commissioner Michelle Clasen, Indivisible Twin Cities member Catherine Wegener and a member of Unidos MN.

“The purpose of going to the Woodbury City Council meeting in large numbers is to let the city council know that there are a whole lot of residents who oppose this, and to ask them to do whatever they can to oppose this as well,” Winslow said.

We will be following this story on TwinCities.com and updates will run in Friday’s print edition of the Pioneer Press.

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