Representatives Scanlon and Evans Urge DHS to Halt Expansion of ICE Facilities in Pennsylvania
Washington,
December 20, 2022
Chester, PA – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today was joined by Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-03) on a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to terminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s contract for the Moshannon Valley Processing Center and decline to locate future ICE detention facilities in Pennsylvania, consistent with the spirit of President Biden’s Executive Order on eliminating the use of privately operated criminal detention facilities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s decision to enter into a contract with GEO Group to operate the Moshannon Valley Processing Center has created the largest ICE detention center in the Northeast. “Not only does DHS’s decision contravene President Biden’s Executive Order by converting a facility subject to the Executive Order into an ICE detention facility, but it also enables GEO Group to perpetuate dubious and problematic practices that are subject to legal challenges elsewhere,” the members wrote. “This includes GEO Group’s well-known $1 a day “voluntary work program,” which a federal court has found to have violated at least one state’s minimum wage laws and is being challenged in other states. Additionally, private immigration detention facilities run by GEO Group regularly mistreat individuals in their custody, subjecting them to physical and verbal racist abuse. ICE does not hold private contract detention facilities accountable for failing to meet quality assurance standards, and when it does, it often grants waivers exempting the facilities from having to meet them.” The members continued, “It is already difficult for detained individuals to secure counsel for their immigration proceedings, especially when facilities are located in more rural areas similar to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. The farther away facilities are from urban centers, the less likely there are to be attorneys and legal services organizations capable of providing pro bono representation. The lack of such services has a significant, negative impact on the ability of detainees to successfully prosecute their asylum and other legal claims.” Find the full text of the letter here and below. ### December 20, 2022 The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528
As members of the Congressional delegation from Pennsylvania, we urge you to halt the process of expanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in our state, consistent with the spirit of President Biden’s Executive Order on eliminating the use of privately operated criminal detention facilities. Approximately 80% of individuals in ICE custody are detained in private facilities. Private prison operators and ICE should not be allowed to fill beds made empty by the application of the Executive Order to Bureau of Prisons contracts with immigrants in ICE custody. The Department of Homeland Security should certainly not be enabling the practice. Accordingly, we respectfully request that you terminate ICE’s contract for the Moshannon Valley Processing Center and decline to locate future ICE detention facilities in Pennsylvania. DHS’s decision to enter into a contract with GEO Group to operate the Moshannon Valley Processing Center has created the largest ICE detention center in the Northeast. Not only does DHS’s decision contravene President Biden’s Executive Order by converting a facility subject to the Executive Order into an ICE detention facility, but it also enables GEO Group to perpetuate dubious and problematic practices that are subject to legal challenges elsewhere. This includes GEO Group’s well-known $1 a day “voluntary work program,” which a federal court has found to have violated at least one state’s minimum wage laws and is being challenged in other states. Additionally, private immigration detention facilities run by GEO Group regularly mistreat individuals in their custody, subjecting them to physical and verbal racist abuse. ICE does not hold private contract detention facilities accountable for failing to meet quality assurance standards, and when it does, it often grants waivers exempting the facilities from having to meet them. It is already difficult for detained individuals to secure counsel for their immigration proceedings, especially when facilities are located in more rural areas similar to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. The farther away facilities are from urban centers, the less likely there are to be attorneys and legal services organizations capable of providing pro bono representation. The lack of such services has a significant, negative impact on the ability of detainees to successfully prosecute their asylum and other legal claims. In addition to attorneys, more isolated locations also create barriers to accessing interpreters and family visits. It also limits access to sufficient medical, religious, and other necessary care. Thank you for your consideration of this issue and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Sincerely,
Mary Gay Scanlon Member of Congress
Dwight Evans Member of Congress
cc: The Honorable Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania The Honorable Tae D. Johnson, Acting Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
