At tomorrow afternoon's Portland City Council hearing on the immigration "processing center" (heh) that's proposed to go in near a charter school in the city's failed South Waterfront District, apparently there are going to be some officials on hand from everybody's sweetheart agency, federal Immigration, to answer questions.

A reader who doesn't like the idea of this jail in that neighborhood sends along some suggested questions:

You refer to the new building as a processing center and not a detention center. For how long are people generally detained on a given day? How long are they in the building before they are transported to Tacoma?

I hear that most of the aliens who are detained in the building are criminals. How many of these criminals are released on bond or through some other alternate detention system (ankle monitors)? Average per week?

What are the crimes the aliens have committed? Felonies or misdemeanors? What percentage are felonies?

Has there been any consideration regarding available parking for the family and friends who come to the building to post bonds for the criminal aliens or visit them?

The South Waterfront District has a lot of higher end condos and a school nearby. Is it really appropriate for individuals who have been convicted of sex offenses or narcotic violations to be in this community neighborhood?

For the criminal aliens released on bond or alternate detention systems, how often are they required to report to the building and meet with deportation officers? How many per week are reporting?

They all sound like fair questions to us (except for the repeated "alien" part, which is heavy-handed). Of course, anyone who wants to ask these questions will have to endure some serious glare from Fireman Randy, the apparent inside promoter on the project, which will enrich a private developer. Good luck with that.