(Editor’s note: Durant Mayor Martin Tucker is a former Seminole banking executive).

Rumors swirled late last year about a former Big Lots distribution center in Durant becoming a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. At the time, a spokesperson for the city addressed the rumors, noting that city officials have not received any official communications from the federal government or any other organization regarding the facility.

“Mayor [Martin] Tucker was recently contacted by a media outlet, and City officials have reason to believe that a detention center is being considered for the Big Lots facility in Durant,” the City of Durant’s statement said on Nov. 24. “At this time, the City has not been directly contacted regarding this proposed facility. We are currently evaluating the appropriate measures the City should take to ensure the continued prosperity, well-being, and growth of Durant.”

Amid the uncertainty, Choctaw Nation leaders decided to take precautionary measures.

The tribal council unanimously approved a bill opposing the rumored facility over the weekend. Regina Maybray from District 12 said the site is “unacceptably close to the nation’s governmental headquarters” and community- serving facilities.

“The nation’s analysis and mapping reflect that the proposed site is located within a short distance of the Choctaw Nation headquarters campus and approximately 1,735 feet from the Choctaw Nation development center,” Mabray said during the tribal council meeting on Jan. 10.

Chief Gary Batton said he plans on signing the bill soon. He also worked with tribal leaders of the Five Tribes to sign a resolution opposing the rumored ICE facility site. The intertribal resolution specifically highlighted the risk the tribe believes the detention center could pose to their community, including potential for protests, increased traffic and public safety concerns.

“The public and governmental health analysis further identifies significant public health concerns associated with detention operations of this scale, including, without limitation, infectious disease transmission risks, strain on local and regional health systems, and environmental and infrastructure impacts related to water use, wastewater output and sanitation demands,” the resolution said.

City of Durant Public Information Officer Madison McKown said there have been no updates since the city released its statement in late November. When asked why city officials believed a detention center was being considered for the former Big Lots facility in Durant, she said they had heard “informal reports.”

“The City has not received any formal or official communication from the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security, or any organization regarding the establishment of such a facility in Durant,” McKown said.

Batton suggested that the reports may have come from the local sheriff.

“The reason why we believe that it’s concerning to us is because we do know the sheriff has had conversations with — we understand — with Homeland Security,” Batton said. “Now, we don’t know that again for a fact, but we do know that there has been conversations with him.”

He also said if a detention center plans to move to the area, he hopes he can find a solution with the city that will work best for everyone.

“If you think about it, in McAlester, we have a prison here,” Batton said. “Every county has a jail. So it’s not that I would oppose having a facility that houses bad people, if you know what I’m saying. But I would want it to be in a place that’s a good, safe, controlled environment.”