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Faith leaders and detainees urge Clearfield County not to renew GEO Group contract at MoShannon processing center
Summary
Multiple public commenters, including faith leaders and people detained at the facility, urged commissioners not to renew the county's partnership with the GEO Group at the Moshening/MoShannon processing center, citing alleged inadequate medical care, prolonged detention, solitary confinement, family separations and deaths in custody.
Public commenters appealed to Clearfield County commissioners on July 28 to refrain from renewing the county's contract or partnership that permits operation of the Moshening (MoShannon) Valley Processing Center under GEO Group.
Sherilyn Sheets, a minister in Clearfield who read a letter from the Live Free Philly Coalition, told the board: "we ask you not to renew the contract that permits the operation of the Moshening Valley Processing Center under GEO Group." The letter cited reports alleging inadequate medical care, prolonged detention, excessive use of solitary confinement, family separation and "multiple deaths in custody." Several other speakers made similar allegations and urged the board to consider the human consequences of continuing the arrangement.
Constance Lindsay, who identified herself in public comment, described being detained since November after a foreign arrest for hemp possession and said the detention has forced her mother into a nursing home. "Why am I still being punished?" she asked the commissioners, urging them to recall that "your decisions affect real people, not contracts, not numbers." Another commenter who said she had monitored protests and visits described detainees' distress and pleaded that the county prioritize dignity over revenue arguments.
Commissioners closed the public-comment period after roughly 20 minutes of remarks and then proceeded to agenda items. The chair later responded that the county does not hold a lease on the facility, that the county's IGSA is an agreement rather than a management contract, and that federal immigration policy questions should be addressed to members of Congress or U.S. senators.
