1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am a constituent writing to demand immediate congressional intervention regarding conditions at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, operated by GEO Group under contract with ICE. Multiple detainee accounts, recorded tapes, legal clinic reporting, and investigative journalism describe abuse, retaliation, medical neglect, contaminated food, and systemic failure. These allegations are credible, specific, and now public—and they require action from federal elected officials who have the authority to force answers from DHS and ICE. This facility has operated under your congressional purview for years. You have had ample opportunity to treat Moshannon as a matter of urgent oversight rather than an embarrassment to ignore until it becomes national news. When a detention site in your district is repeatedly linked to allegations of unsafe conditions and denial of basic rights, silence is not “restraint”—it is abdication. Your constituents should not have to beg their Representative to notice what is happening in their backyard. As documented in public reporting and legal analysis, concerns have included medical neglect, unsanitary conditions, retaliation for grievances, and inadequate nutrition—escalating recently to a hunger strike involving nearly 100 detainees. Reports also raise serious questions about the credibility of routine inspections when complaints persist and conditions reportedly deteriorate. A Longstanding Pattern of Violations at Moshannon Valley (Selected Timeline) • 2011–2012 — DOJ findings after catastrophic injury to Timothy Helms Source: Centre Daily Times (DOJ findings summary) • 2013–2016 — Chronic medical neglect and delayed treatment Sources: Prison Legal News • ACLU PA • 2017–2019 — Retaliation for grievances and unsanitary conditions Sources: PICC • NIJC • 2020 — COVID 19 outbreaks and failure to implement mitigation Sources: ACLU PA • Detention Watch Network • 2021 — Closure of the federal prison amid longstanding concerns Sources: WPSU/NPR • PICC/ACLU PA • 2022–2023 — Immediate complaints after ICE reopening Sources: TribLIVE • Pennsylvania Capital Star • 2023 — Staff misconduct and failures of ICE inspections Sources: Detention Watch Network • NIJC Actions I Am Demanding From Your Office • Submit a formal congressional inquiry to DHS/ICE demanding a written response on allegations of abuse, medical neglect, food safety failures, retaliation, and due-process violations at Moshannon • Request immediate, unannounced inspections and release of the most recent inspection reports, corrective action plans, and complaint logs related to Moshannon • Refer these allegations and any evidence (including reported recordings) to the DHS Office of Inspector General and request an urgent investigation • Demand preservation of evidence by ICE and GEO Group, including recordings, incident logs, medical logs, grievance records, and communications with county officials • Publicly state whether you support continued detention operations at Moshannon absent independent monitoring and verified compliance with detention standards • Provide your constituents a clear timeline: what your office will do, when you will do it, and when the public will see results Respond within 14 days with a written statement confirming what actions you have taken and the responses you have received from DHS/ICE. If you refuse to act, you are choosing the outcome—and you will own it.