State lawmakers are taking steps to, in the future, keep immigration detention centers out of communities. Under a bill that moved out of an Illinois House committee Wednesday, new immigration detention centers would be prohibited within 1,500 feet of schools, churches, day care centers, cemeteries , public parks, forest preserves, private residences and public housing. Testifying in support of the legislation was House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, both of whom represent the Broadview area, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center played a major role in Operation Midway Blitz last fall. The bill got broad support from Democrats, but was unanimously opposed by Republicans.“This bill says something very simple and very reasonable: Detention facilities do not belong in the middle of our neighborhoods,” Welch said. “They should not be next to schools, they should not be next to day care centers, they should not sit beside parks, public housing, places of worship, or private homes like the Broadview detention center does.”Welch noted that within 1,500 feet of the Broadview facility, there are two day care centers, a park, a place of worship and several private residences. The bill would not close the current Broadview center. That facility became a flashpoint for anti-ICE protests during the deportation campaign. Six protesters, nicknamed the Broadview Six, were charged with conspiracy, a federal felony, following their participation in protests at the facility. Two of the six have had charges dropped. Thompson testified about the financial strain of housing the Broadview center put on her community, which amounted to more than $700,000, according to village officials.“For a small community like ours this is not just a number, that is a significant burden on our taxpayers, and yet there has been no reimbursement,” Thompson said.Rep. Christopher Davidsmeyer, a Republican from Jacksonville, voted against the legislation, calling it just a "political bill." He expects it to be challenged in the courts if it passes.“The reality is our laws have actually been pushing ICE’s actions in the directions they have been going,” Davidsmeyer said. “So if we would just work with them, things could happen peacefully and we wouldn't have this problem.”The bill awaits votes in both the House and Senate. Several committee members asked to be added as co-sponsors to the bill. ...read more read less