Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff says he is backing a bill that would require the federal government to get approval from state and local governments before it can open new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center facilities.

Ossoff announced that he is cosponsoring the Respect for Local Community Act, which was introduced by New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Saheen and Maggie Hassan in February.

If the bill becomes law, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to enter into a signed, written agreement with the state's governor and "appropriate local government officials" before acquiring or building any property that could be used as a new processing site or detention center.

The bill would also require the agency to issue a public notice about the plan, providing specifics on how DHS or other agencies would comply with federal guidance and address infrastructure concerns. The Secretary of Homeland Security would also need to notify Congressional committees before moving forward with the agency's plans.

Earlier this month, DHS put a pause on its efforts to open two detention centers in Georgia and others across the country, a move that came just days after Markwayne Mullin replaced Kristy Noem as the new Secretary of Homeland Security.

Officials in the small Georgia cities of Social Circle and Oakwood have expressed their concerns about converting warehouses into facilities expected to house thousands of detainees. City officials pointed to the strains it may put on their water supplies. Social Circle went so far as to put a lock on the water meter for the warehouse that ICE purchased.

The cities have complained about what they said was a lack of transparency when it came to the federal authorities' plans. Oakwood City Manager B.R. White said his first inkling that a deal was imminent came when a warehouse supervisor told a city inspector he'd been instructed to clear the job site to make way for the new owners — the federal government.

Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock have both spoken out against DHS's new detention center plan in the past, with Warnock attempting to block funding of the construction earlier this year.

"For months, the Social Circle community has been clear in its opposition to this administration's proposed ICE detention facility, which local leaders have warned risks overwhelming the city's infrastructure," Ossoff said. "Yet despite clear local opposition, this administration's plans and intentions have been shrouded in secrecy without any local input. This bill will require the Federal government to get local agreement before building such facilities."

"Our community remains strongly opposed to ICE's proposed detention facility, which risks overwhelming our infrastructure and more than tripling our population. ICE and DHS's failures to communicate with us about these plans have made the situation even worse and created months of havoc," said Social Circle Mayor David Keener. "We're grateful to Sen. Ossoff for his continued opposition to this project and for his support of this Federal legislation that would ensure our community has a voice in this process and cannot be ignored."

So far, immigration officials have spent a total of $1.074 billion on 11 warehouses.The Associated Press contributed to this report.