What This Story Is About
- Federal records show ICE awarded a $63 million contract to build a 24/7 call center in ZIP code 37010, covering rural Robertson and Montgomery counties in Tennessee — and local officials say they have not been told anything about it.
Why It Matters
- Residents and local leaders say the lack of notice from the federal government has left communities with no voice in a decision that could reshape the character of a rural area that has resisted industrial development for years.
- Local leaders may not learn the facility’s exact location until the federal government or its contractor purchases land, as ICE has declined to confirm details about the project.
For Context
- ZIP code 37010 covers parts of both Robertson and Montgomery counties, including the small city of Adams, which has no industrial parks and limited infrastructure.
Catch Up
- ICE awarded a $63 million contract to an Alaska-based company to build a call center to help local and state authorities with immigration operations, with the only public location clue being a rural Tennessee ZIP code.
ADAMS, Tenn. (WSMV) – A federal contract shows ICE awarded $63 million to an Alaska-based company to build a 24/7 call center to assist local and state authorities with immigration operations. The only location detail listed: ZIP code 37010 — which covers both Robertson and Montgomery counties.
No county or city leaders in either area say they have been informed about the project — including planning and zoning officials in Robertson County and city leaders in Adams.
‘People are asking, and there’s no answers’
John Edwards, a lifelong Robertson County resident and local leader, said he first learned about the potential call center not through official channels, but on his own.
“I had seen — I don’t even know if it was really reported in the news per se — as much was when I first heard about it,” Edwards said…