1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to oppose any plans to create or expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in North Carolina, including the Rivers Correctional Institution in Winton, the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, and the expanded use of North Carolina jails to hold immigration detainees. These uses deepen our state’s involvement in a detention system that has been repeatedly criticized for abuse, medical neglect, and lack of transparency. Reports from civil rights and immigrant justice organizations have documented deaths in ICE custody in recent years and ongoing patterns of violence, inadequate medical care, and unsafe conditions in detention centers across the country. North Carolinians should not have our communities or tax dollars tied to facilities that put people’s lives at risk and operate behind a veil of secrecy. ICE has a documented history of withholding information about where and how it is expanding detention, making it difficult for the public and local officials to fully understand the impact of these decisions on our communities. When facilities are sited or converted without meaningful public input, it erodes trust in government and undermines democratic accountability.​​ In addition to the moral and human rights concerns, expanding detention does not make our communities safer. Detaining more immigrants—many of whom have deep ties to family, work, schools, and faith communities—tears families apart and destabilizes local economies. Community-based alternatives to detention are more humane, more cost‑effective, and far better aligned with North Carolina’s values. I respectfully ask you to: 1) Publicly oppose any plans to create, use, reopen, or convert facilities in North Carolina into ICE detention centers. 2) Support legislation or policy measures that prevent new ICE detention contracts and the expansion of existing ones in our state, including using the local county jail as an immigration detention facilty. 3) Press for transparency and public disclosure of any discussions or agreements involving ICE and North Carolina agencies or local governments, as well as identifying information regarding all individuals arrested by ICE in our state. North Carolina should stand for dignity, safety, and due process for all people, regardless of immigration status. I hope you will use your position to ensure our state does not become home to new ICE detention centers and instead invests in humane, community‑based approaches. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and for your service to our state. I look forward to hearing how you intend to address this issue.