U.S. To Close, Scale Back Four Immigrant Detention Centers

The United States will close a troubled detention center in Alabama and significantly scale back the number of beds contracted at three other facilities, citing concerns about conditions.

According to an internal document seen by Reuters, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will discontinue use of the Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden, Alabama, as it had “long been a facility of serious concern, due to the quantity, severity, diversity and persistence of deficiencies.” ICE confirmed the planned closure, which was first reported by Reuters, in a statement on Friday.

While the facility does not currently house many detainees, the average length of stay remains high, the document said, adding that the age of the jail and the lack of outdoor space were of particular concern.

The memo also said the agency would pause the use of Glades County Detention Center in Florida where there have been “persistent and ongoing concerns related to the provision of medical care at the facility.”

In a Feb. 1 letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that oversees ICE, a group of lawmakers said Glades must be closed after complaints about racist abuse of Black detainees, the overuse of toxic chemicals, and a November carbon monoxide leak that led to four detainees being hospitalized.

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ICE currently detains nearly 22,000 immigrants at facilities across the country.

Under Biden, ICE arrests and deportations of immigrants living illegally in the United States have plummeted compared with the administration of his predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump. {snip}

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