ACLU: ICE considering expansion of immigration detention facility in Nevada

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering proposals to expand its immigration detention capacity in Nevada, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

Records obtained by the group through the Freedom of Information Act showed private prison corporations’ proposals to expand immigration detention capacity across the nation in response to a request for information from ICE.

“The ACLU’s investigation into ICE’s plans reveals a dangerous push to expand immigration detention facilities across the country, including here in Nevada,” said Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the union’s Nevada chapter. “Expanding ICE presence in Nevada will tear families apart, erode trust in law enforcement and make Nevada less safe.”

The request for information, which was published by the American Civil Liberties Union, said that ICE was looking “to identify possible detention facilities to house noncitizens and immigration violators in support of its public safety mission.”

ICE was looking for available detention facilities in specific geographic regions, including Nevada, according to a copy of the request for information.

A spokesperson for ICE told the Review-Journal that the request for information was “solely for informational and planning purposes” and does not “restrict the government to any acquisition approach.”

“ICE regularly conducts market research to identify available detention resources in various parts of the country to inform future acquisition efforts and ensure the agency is able to meet its mission,” the spokesperson said. ICE did not say whether they are expecting an influx of detainees in Nevada or why the state was selected as an area for possible expansion.

According to copies of public records shared by the American Civil Liberties Union, a company that calls itself “one of the largest prison operators in the United States” submitted plans for Nevada Southern Detention Center, a private facility in Pahrump that houses ICE detainees.

The managing director for proposal development at CoreCivic, the company that owns Nevada Southern Detention Center, emailed the plans in response to the request for information issued by ICE, according to a copy of the email sent on June 21.

The managing director’s name was redacted from the records, and the plans themselves were not included in the documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ryan Gustin, director of public affairs at CoreCivic, said that the company “stays in regular contact with ICE and all our government partners to understand their changing needs.”

All of the company’s immigration facilities have a “significant amount of oversight and accountability,” Gustin said, and are “monitored by ICE officials on a daily basis.”

Gustin said that the company has a “long-standing, zero-tolerance policy not to advocate for or against any legislation that serves as the basis for — or determines the duration of — an individual’s detention.”

The company does not enforce immigration laws or know the circumstances of individuals when they are placed in a CoreCivic facility, Gustin added. “Our responsibility is to care for each person respectfully and humanely while they receive the legal due process that they are entitled to,” he said.

CoreCivic did not confirm whether plans to expand Nevada Southern Detention Center will be moving forward or whether the facility is expecting an influx of detainees.

According to third-quarter results released by CoreCivic, excluding the termination of a contract with ICE at a facility in South Texas, the company’s revenue with ICE increased nearly 5 percent compared with the prior quarter.

ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com.