ICE detention center possibly coming to Marana | News

It was standing room only as more than 250 people turned out to hear about the possible future immigrant detention center that may go into the now-shuttered Marana prison. The event took place at Coyote Trails Elementary School.

At issue is the fact that the privately held company Management Training Corporation (MTC) bought the 500-bed prison facility for $15 million, according to Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen, who represents District 3 and moderated the event. She said the company used to run the prison before it was shut down. They then sold it to the state for about $150,000 and have now bought it back.

The unknown here is what MTC intends to do with the facility. Since the company is contracted by the federal government to build Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding and training facilities, it seems likely, Allen said, that this is what will go in. 

One problem for Marana and Pima County in general is that since the company is privately owned by a Utah family, again according to Allen, plans are implemented in secrecy; the company is not obligated by law to disclose what they intend to do and how they intend to do it. MTC owns five other immigrant detention facilities around the state. 

Allen said that although not much is known about what’s going to happen, there are a few indicators that point to the ICE outcome. One is that the Department of Homeland Security has stated that they intend to build more immigrant detention facilities around the country, including two more in Arizona. “$45 billion has been allocated at the federal level for increasing immigrant detention capacity,” she said.

Both the Maricopa County Jail and the Marana site have been named as possibilities.

Running these private prisons and detention facilities is a very lucrative business, Allen added. She said companies that run them are recording hundreds of millions in profits and since this is a for-profit venture, it is in their best interest to cut costs, which makes human beings a cash commodity and leads to numerous human rights violations, a code phrase for terrible conditions and inhumane treatment of those who are housed there.

At the meeting, a panel of four people involved in immigrant justice were on hand to discuss concerns about the ICE facility plan. 

One of the panelists was social worker Liz Casey of the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, and whose work is with immigrants in Eloy and Florence. Her work includes documenting conditions and abuse within these facilities. She works with a vulnerable population, such as pregnant women and people who have chronic health conditions or disabilities. She said the treatment of those in custody is horrific for one main reason.

“There is no oversight at these detention facilities,” she said. “There is no oversight for anybody who is really looking into conditions or abuses or able to hold anybody accountable for things that are happening inside. Some of these conditions that occur across Arizona in detention facilities (are) water outages and power outages, issues with access to hygiene, hygiene supplies, medical neglect. There (has been), unfortunately, two deaths this year.”

Noah Schramm of the ACLU of Arizona was next up. He addressed the poor conditions of the facilities and what the immigrants face when they are detained.

“The problems that we see in Arizona detention centers are not unique to Arizona,” he said. “ICE detention centers across the country have consistently been places where people’s most basic and fundamental rights and dignity are violated and you can really go down the list.”

That list, Schramm said, includes access to medical care, to safe food and water and to legal counsel.

“It is worth remembering that the people who are detained in those places often have not had a judge consider their case, have not had their day in court and have not been convicted of a crime,” he added.

In addition, Schramm said, 170 American citizens have been detained by ICE in the first nine months of this year. ICE is bringing local police into the system, deputizing local law enforcement to work for ICE, even offering performance bonuses for officers based on the number of deportations that result from their arrests. 

Panelist Moe Goldman, who grew up in Oro Valley and has practiced immigration and nationality law and is currently a trustee to the American Immigration Council, mentioned a practical consideration.

“When it comes to detention, you know who actually pays for the detainment of these individuals?” he asked. “All of us. We pay for that. It’s not money that comes out just from nowhere and the people who profit from them are traditionally these private prisons.”

Plus, he said, having an ICE facility in Marana’s backyard means lowered property values.

One of the arguments for having the facility is it creates jobs.

“But are those the jobs you want?” Goldman asked.

“No!” the crowd responded.

Finally, Caroline Isaacs of Just Communities Arizona talked about her experience with ICE facilities. She has 30 years of experience watching the public and private prison industries and the growth of those industries here. The news is not hopeful. 

“This is a business model,” she said. “For-profit incarceration is a business. They exist to make money, and the commodity is human beings. They are competing for contracts with the government. They have to come in as the lowest bidder and then they’re going to make a profit on top of that.”

How? By cutting corners. 

“They cut corners on staff, staff pay, staff training,” she said. “You see these high (job) vacancy rates. These high turnover rates and undertrained staff is a recipe for disaster in every single case. Folks are just not prepared to handle those jobs.”

This creates unsafe conditions for both the incarcerated and staff.

Audience questions followed the panelists’ statements, and they were numerous. Among them: What is the approval process? Does Marana want assault weapons operational? When would the facility open? 

According to Casey, it was originally thought that it would open in December. One way to track that is to look at the job listings. To date, MTC has not listed any jobs for Marana. 

Who is responsible for property damage?

There were questions about who will pay for added strain on Marana’s infrastructure and that includes not just the roads but the airspace as well.

Does Marana want its resources such as water used in this way?

For many of the questions, there are no answers yet.

It is expected there will be another public meeting. In the meantime, Schramm said, residents can call their local representatives and call frequently. Isaacs said MTC likes to brand itself as a mom and pop shop so it is a company that is sensitive to local opposition. However, they are beholden to no one.

Joanna Ryan is an Iraqi veteran, UA alum, mother and former member of federal law enforcement. She knows from the other side how this goes. 

“This is bad for Marana, bad for Tucson,” she said.

Ryan said she witnessed inhumane treatment and poor health care.

“These conditions come down to even the workers,” she added. “it is not good for anybody, your children, your community,”