Oppose All Funding for New & Existing ICE Concentration Camps

Today I’m writing to urge you to oppose any federal funding for ICE's plan to convert a former warehouses into migrant detention facilities. One example in Pennsylvania would use $119 million dollars in a contract would transform a massive commercial building in Schuylkill County into what amounts to a human warehouse, and it deserves your immediate opposition, and all others like it. Published reports show local and state officials are opposed to these centers. The inhumane conditions of the ICE Centers have resulted in deaths, illness, and brutality - many of whom were American citizens who by mistake or by design were incarcerated without due process or Constitutional oversight. Larger centers will simply be worse. Detention facilities of this scale also represent a fundamental misuse of taxpayer dollars. For the price tag, these contracts could instead fund community-based alternatives to detention that cost a fraction of the price while maintaining higher compliance rates with immigration proceedings. Studies consistently show that case management programs achieve over 90 percent appearance rates at immigration hearings while costing approximately $36 per day compared to over $200 per day for detention. Communities across the nation are already experiencing fear and concern about these facilities. Converting commercial warehouse space into detention centers treats human beings like inventory to be stored rather than individuals navigating a legal process. Mass detention does not improve public safety or immigration enforcement outcomes. It does, however, enrich private contractors while traumatizing vulnerable people, including asylum seekers seeking protected status. I urge you to publicly oppose any and all funds for these contracts and work to redirect the funds toward humane, effective alternatives to detention. This is a human and civil rights issue of the highest order, and must be treated as such and opposed in Congress. Thank you.