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Hundreds of residents urge Union County commissioners not to sell adjacent jail for immigration detention
Summary
Dozens of speakers at a Union County Commissioners meeting pressed the board to block any sale or request for proposals (RFP) that could allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement or private prison firms to operate a detention center in Elizabeth, urging reuse for housing, community services or arts.
Dozens of residents and advocacy groups told the Union County Board of County Commissioners on the night the board opened its public-comment period that the county should not sell the nearby jail or allow it to be used for immigration detention.
Speakers said an unrestricted sale or an RFP that allows bids from private prison companies such as CoreCivic or GEO Group would invite ICE detention to the county and would harm immigrant communities in Elizabeth and across Union County. "We demand that you not even consider accepting bids from any prison or detention center corporations," said Farrah Naz of Resistencia. "This is not a neutral process. Opening bids to these companies under the excuse of exploration is a political choice that you're making, and a harmful one."…
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