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

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the potential reopening of Rivers Correctional Institution in Hertford County as an ICE detention facility, and to oppose any expansion of ICE detention centers in North Carolina. I am writing to ask you to take a firm stand against reopening Rivers Correctional Institution for immigration detention and against any further growth of ICE detention capacity in our state. North Carolina should not become a larger part of a detention system that separates families, places vulnerable people behind bars for civil immigration matters, and too often operates with inadequate transparency and oversight. Communities in North Carolina deserve policies that strengthen safety, due process, and humane treatment. Expanding ICE detention does the opposite. Similar facilities in neighboring states, including the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, have been widely criticized for poor conditions, inadequate medical care, and prolonged isolation of detainees. Those kinds of reports are deeply concerning, and they should be a warning that North Carolina must not expand a system with such serious and repeated failures. Reopening a private prison for ICE detention would also bring serious harm to local communities. It would entrench a business model that profits from confinement, encourage further detention of immigrants and asylum seekers, and deepen fear in families already living and working here. North Carolina should invest in community-based solutions, legal support, and fair immigration processes instead of expanding detention infrastructure. I urge you to publicly oppose any effort to reopen Rivers Correctional Institution as an ICE facility and to reject any legislation, funding, or policy that would expand ICE detention centers in North Carolina. Please put people, families, and humane treatment first.