The move came as dozens of immigrants arrested in Minneapolis were shipped to the Torrance County Detention Facility, which is run by private prison operator CoreCivic, in New Mexico. One of them, 33-year-old Jorge Cordoba, told Source NM he lived in Minneapolis for more than 20 years and was in the country legally under protected Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival status.
Residents who spoke during public comment were overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, though Otero County Attorney R.B. Nichols spoke during a virtual public comment period to oppose the bill. He said it would disproportionately harm economies in regions like Otero or Torrance counties that rely on detention centers for jobs.
The bill’s supporters, though, contend that it would not force these facilities to shut down. Many detention centers contract with other law enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Marshals, and would still detain people accused of crimes.
“We’re disentangling ourselves from the immigration industry that’s been…a money-making, for-profit machine off the backs of our neighbors and families and friends,” Chávez, one of the bill’s sponsors, told Source NM. “I think that it sends a message to the rest of the country.”
Lawmakers on the [State] House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee voted 4-2 to move the bill.
not a great idea. ICE doesn’t bring people back when they’re done with you. you’re just shoved out the door: no bag, no phone, no idea what state you’re in.
In this case, folks are getting shipped from Minnesota to New Mexico to start with. Similar for a high-profile case in MA. ICE’s standard practice seems to include quickly moving people across state lines. So closing down an ICE detention facility in one state doesn’t seem like it necessarily makes it more likely for folks to end up stranded far from home.
And of course this is one of those cases where in some ways it gets worse as more people take a stand, but once enough people take a stand it stops. (I think a good comparison is the dichotomy between ‘if guns are outlawed only bad guys have guns’ and ‘there’s no way to prevent this says US, the only country where this happens’.)