1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

The planned reopening of the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan as a large immigration detention center raises serious concerns about the potential exploitation and mistreatment of detainees. Private prison companies like GEO Group have a troubling track record of providing inadequate medical care, subjecting detainees to inhumane living conditions, and engaging in forced labor practices. Rather than expanding immigration detention capacity through for-profit facilities, we should prioritize community-based alternatives that uphold human dignity and due process rights. Reopening North Lake as an 1,800-bed detention hub would make it one of the largest facilities of its kind in the country, further fueling the disturbing trend of mass immigrant incarceration. This facility promises to generate significant profits for GEO Group at the expense of detainees' wellbeing, while also straining local resources in the impoverished Lake County community. I urge you to oppose the establishment of this massive immigration detention center in Michigan. Our state should not enable the exploitative practices of private prison companies or the inhumane treatment of immigrants awaiting legal proceedings. We must explore more humane and cost-effective alternatives that respect human rights and address the root causes driving migration.