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Tag: detention center

  • Howard Co. revokes building permit, introduces legislation to block proposed ICE detention center – WTOP News

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    After an inspection and the publication of leasing advertisements for the proposed detention center in Elkridge, Howard County determined that the building would be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and revoked the building permit.

    Howard County, Maryland, has revoked the building permit for a private detention center that County Executive Calvin Ball said was going to be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs. And the county council has introduced emergency legislation to stop the project.

    After a recent inspection and leasing advertisements for the proposed detention center, located at 6522 Meadowridge Road in Elkridge, the county determined “this privately owned building is intended for occupancy by ICE,” said Ball in a Monday news conference.

    “The retrofitting of a private office buildings for detention use without transparency, without input, without clear oversight, is deeply troubling,” Ball said. “In this case, the proposed detention center sits in an existing office park in close proximity to health care providers, schools, parks and neighborhoods.”

    According to Ball, the county wasn’t aware of specific lease agreements or contracts between the building owner and any federal agency.

    The county’s director of inspections, licenses and permits and permits revoked the building permit, Ball said.

    Later, Monday, the Howard County Council introduced two pieces of emergency legislation aimed at preventing private entities, rather than government agencies, from operating detention centers in the county.

    The council voted to hold an emergency public hearing Wednesday, which could stretch into Thursday, followed by a vote on the bills by the five-person council.

    “Since there are four cosponsors on the bill, it is about 99.99% likely to pass,” Council Chair Opel Jones told the audience, which responded with a standing ovation.

    Jones asked audience members to “pack the house” for the public hearing, before encouraging participants to be concise in their statements, “so we can get right to the point, and vote this bill in.”

    Howard County’s actions comes several days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased a warehouse near Hagerstown, Maryland, raising concerns that it would be retrofitted as an ICE detention center.

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    Neal Augenstein

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  • Protesters gather in downtown Orlando to demand ICE’s removal

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    RESISTING WITHOUT VIOLENCE. THAT PROTEST WAS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL IN CENTRAL FLORIDA TODAY, INCLUDING ONE IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO AT CITY HALL. THAT’S WHERE OUR GAIL PASCHALL-BROWN IS NOW TO TELL US HOW THIS RALLY IS COINCIDING WITH MANY OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. GAIL. STEWART. THAT’S BECAUSE TODAY, JANUARY 23RD, HAS BEEN DECLARED A NATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY BY THE ICE GET OUT FOR GOOD MOVEMENT. AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS TO BASICALLY REMEMBER THOSE LIVES LOST AND TO DEMAND ICE’S ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE REST AND OTHER INCIDENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AT ITS HEIGHT. SOME 150 PROTESTERS AND SPEAKERS GATHERED OUTSIDE ORLANDO CITY HALL TO GET ICE OUT OF ORLANDO AND FLORIDA. NO FEAR, NO HATE, NO ICE IN OUR STATE, NO FEAR, NO HATE, NO ICE IN OUR STATE. AND I’M HERE BECAUSE I’M ANGRY. AARON LEWIS OF ORLANDO, 5051. ONE OF THE GROUPS ORGANIZING THIS EVENT SAYS ICE IMMIGRATION, CUSTOMS AND ENFORCEMENT IS NOT ABOUT SAFETY. IF IT WERE, WE WOULDN’T BE TERRORIZING NEIGHBORHOODS AT DAWN. IF IT WERE, WE WOULDN’T BE DISAPPEARING PEOPLE INTO A SYSTEM DESIGNED TO BREAK THEM. THIS IS WHAT THAT SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE. RENEE. NICOLE GOOD IS DEAD. A MOTHER, A NEIGHBOR KILLED BY ICE, A FIVE YEAR OLD CHILD WAS USED AS A DECOY, LIKE BAIT. DEMONSTRATORS ARE EAGER TO SEE ICE MELT IN FLORIDA. WE WANT TO SEE ICE ABOLISHED, NOT JUST RETRAINED, NOT REGULATED, GONE OFF THE STREETS. YOU CANNOT TRAIN THE CRUELTY OUT OF THESE PEOPLE. AND NOW THAT THEY WANT TO BRING A 1500 BED ICE DETENTION CENTER TO ORLANDO, NOT SOMEWHERE ELSE, THEY WANT TO DO THAT RIGHT HERE. WE SAY NO, THIS IS NOT ENFORCEMENT. THIS IS TERROR WITH PAPERWORK. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT PROTESTING IS NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH TO KICK ICE OUT OF ORLANDO. WE NEED TO DO STRIKE ACTIONS. ONE OF THE THINGS WE’RE CALLING FOR IS A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE ON MAY 1ST ON LABOR DAY. ORGANIZERS OF THIS ICE OUT FOR GOOD RALLIES SAY NOW IS THE TIME. STAND UP, FIGHT BACK, TELL YOUR LEADERS THAT THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WANT IN AMERICA. FIND ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY DOING THE WORK AND GET PLUGGED IN. ICE OUT OF ORLANDO, ICE OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND ICE OUT FOR GOOD. THANK YOU. NOW, THE NEXT THING THAT ORGANIZERS TELL ME THAT THEY’RE ALSO WORKING ON IS A FEBRUARY 3RD PUBLIC ONLINE MEETING. AND THAT WAY IS TO DISCUSS MORE WAYS TO GET ICE OUT OF ORLANDO, COVERING ORANGE COUNTY LIV

    Protesters gather in downtown Orlando to demand ICE’s removal

    Updated: 11:18 PM EST Jan 23, 2026

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    Protesters gathered outside Orlando City Hall on Friday as part of a national day of solidarity for the “ICE Out for Good” movement, demanding the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Orlando and Florida.At its peak, around 150 protesters and speakers gathered, chanting, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state.”Aaron Lewis of Orlando 5051, one of the event’s organizers, criticized ICE, saying, “If it were, we wouldn’t be terrorizing neighborhoods at dawn. If it were, we wouldn’t be disappearing people into a system that is designed to break them. This is what the system looks like: Renee Nicole Good is dead, a mother, a neighbor killed by ICE, a 5-year-old child used as a decoy, like bait.”Jackie Giralt, another organizer from Orlando 5051, expressed the group’s goal: “We want to see ICE abolished, not just retrained, not regulated, gone off the streets. You cannot train the cruelty out of these people.”Lewis also highlighted concerns about a proposed 1,500-bed detention center in Orlando, stating, “And they want to bring a 1,500-bed detention center to Orlando, not somewhere else; they want to do that right here. We say no, this is not enforcement, this is terror with paperwork.”Izzy Coventry from Socialist Alternative emphasized the need for more than just protests, advocating for strike actions and calling for a national strike on May 1, International Workers’ Day, also called Labour Day in some countries. Organizers urged attendees to take action, with Giralt saying, “Stand up, fight back, tell your leaders that is not what we want in America. Find organizations that are already doing the work and get plugged in.”The rally concluded with chants of “ICE out of Orlando, ICE out of our communities and ICE out for good.” Organizers are planning a public online meeting on Feb. 3 to discuss further steps to remove ICE from Orlando while ensuring the working class is not adversely affected.

    ORLANDO, Fla. —

    Protesters gathered outside Orlando City Hall on Friday as part of a national day of solidarity for the “ICE Out for Good” movement, demanding the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Orlando and Florida.

    At its peak, around 150 protesters and speakers gathered, chanting, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state.”

    Aaron Lewis of Orlando 5051, one of the event’s organizers, criticized ICE, saying, “If it were, we wouldn’t be terrorizing neighborhoods at dawn. If it were, we wouldn’t be disappearing people into a system that is designed to break them. This is what the system looks like: Renee Nicole Good is dead, a mother, a neighbor killed by ICE, a 5-year-old child used as a decoy, like bait.”

    Jackie Giralt, another organizer from Orlando 5051, expressed the group’s goal: “We want to see ICE abolished, not just retrained, not regulated, gone off the streets. You cannot train the cruelty out of these people.”

    Lewis also highlighted concerns about a proposed 1,500-bed detention center in Orlando, stating, “And they want to bring a 1,500-bed detention center to Orlando, not somewhere else; they want to do that right here. We say no, this is not enforcement, this is terror with paperwork.”

    Izzy Coventry from Socialist Alternative emphasized the need for more than just protests, advocating for strike actions and calling for a national strike on May 1, International Workers’ Day, also called Labour Day in some countries.

    Organizers urged attendees to take action, with Giralt saying, “Stand up, fight back, tell your leaders that is not what we want in America. Find organizations that are already doing the work and get plugged in.”

    The rally concluded with chants of “ICE out of Orlando, ICE out of our communities and ICE out for good.” Organizers are planning a public online meeting on Feb. 3 to discuss further steps to remove ICE from Orlando while ensuring the working class is not adversely affected.

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  • ACLU seeks release of Michigan immigrant held in custody despite life-threatening leukemia

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    Federal authorities refuse to release a Michigan man in a pending deportation case, despite his life-threatening leukemia and the inconsistent health care he’s received while in custody since August, his lawyer said Thursday.Related video above: Massachusetts city council passes resolution barring police from assisting ICEThe American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is seeking a bond hearing for Jose Contreras-Cervantes, which could allow him to return to his Detroit-area family and doctors while his case winds through immigration court. He’s currently being held at a detention center about three hours away.Contreras-Cervantes, a 33-year-old married father of three who has been living in the U.S. for about 20 years, but not legally, was arrested at an Aug. 5 traffic stop in Macomb County, near Detroit. He had no criminal record beyond minor traffic offenses, said ACLU lawyer Miriam Aukerman.Contreras-Cervantes was diagnosed last year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a life-threatening cancer of the bone marrow, said his wife, Lupita Contreras.”The doctor said he has four to six years to live,” she said.His detention is a consequence of the Trump administration’s policy of refusing to agree to bond hearings for immigrants if they entered the U.S. illegally, even if they lack a criminal record. The policy is a reversal of past practices and it has been successfully challenged, including this week in Washington state.”We don’t just lock people up and throw away the key,” Aukerman said. “Judges decide who should be behind bars. That is true for citizens and noncitizens. … Immigration cases can take months or even years.”U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no immediate comment on the case.Contreras-Cervantes was shuttled from Michigan to Ohio and then back to Michigan and didn’t receive medication for 22 days, his wife said.He is now getting a substitute medication at North Lake Processing Center, a privately operated detention center in Baldwin, Michigan, not the specific medication recommended by his doctors, Aukerman said.The ACLU filed a petition Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, asking a judge to order bond hearings for Contreras-Cervantes and seven other people who are in custody.”What the (Trump) administration is doing is trying to crush people’s spirits, make them give up,” and agree to deportation, Aukerman said. “We’re saying no. They’re entitled to due process.”

    DETROIT —

    Federal authorities refuse to release a Michigan man in a pending deportation case, despite his life-threatening leukemia and the inconsistent health care he’s received while in custody since August, his lawyer said Thursday.

    Related video above: Massachusetts city council passes resolution barring police from assisting ICE

    The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is seeking a bond hearing for Jose Contreras-Cervantes, which could allow him to return to his Detroit-area family and doctors while his case winds through immigration court. He’s currently being held at a detention center about three hours away.

    Contreras-Cervantes, a 33-year-old married father of three who has been living in the U.S. for about 20 years, but not legally, was arrested at an Aug. 5 traffic stop in Macomb County, near Detroit. He had no criminal record beyond minor traffic offenses, said ACLU lawyer Miriam Aukerman.

    Contreras-Cervantes was diagnosed last year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a life-threatening cancer of the bone marrow, said his wife, Lupita Contreras.

    “The doctor said he has four to six years to live,” she said.

    His detention is a consequence of the Trump administration’s policy of refusing to agree to bond hearings for immigrants if they entered the U.S. illegally, even if they lack a criminal record. The policy is a reversal of past practices and it has been successfully challenged, including this week in Washington state.

    “We don’t just lock people up and throw away the key,” Aukerman said. “Judges decide who should be behind bars. That is true for citizens and noncitizens. … Immigration cases can take months or even years.”

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no immediate comment on the case.

    Contreras-Cervantes was shuttled from Michigan to Ohio and then back to Michigan and didn’t receive medication for 22 days, his wife said.

    He is now getting a substitute medication at North Lake Processing Center, a privately operated detention center in Baldwin, Michigan, not the specific medication recommended by his doctors, Aukerman said.

    The ACLU filed a petition Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, asking a judge to order bond hearings for Contreras-Cervantes and seven other people who are in custody.

    “What the (Trump) administration is doing is trying to crush people’s spirits, make them give up,” and agree to deportation, Aukerman said. “We’re saying no. They’re entitled to due process.”

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  • NM Gov declines GOP’s invite to visit ICE detention center

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    This article was published by Source NM. Read more at sourcenm.com.

    Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s “busy schedule” Monday means she won’t join Republican lawmakers on a tour of New Mexico’s biggest immigration detention center, a spokesperson for the governor told Source New Mexico on Thursday.

    New Mexico Republicans shared a letter on social media Wednesday announcing some members would be touring the Otero County Processing Center on Monday, and they invited the governor to come along. The detention center in Chaparral currently houses most of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees in the state, and its population has increased since President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown began this year.

    The governor’s chief lawyer told an interim legislative committee in July that the governor was considering adding a measure to the agenda at an upcoming special session that would ban immigration detention facilities in New Mexico.

    Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham gives her State of the State address on Jan 16. 2024 during the opening day of the legislative session.

    “Before we take any action with such far-reaching implications (for example, putting New Mexicans out of work and risking millions of federal funding), it is essential that we have a clear first-hand understanding of the conditions within these facilities and the operations that take place there,” Republican lawmakers Rep. Andrea Reeb and Sen. Crystal Brantley wrote in the letter.

    The letter went on to invite the governor to tag along for the visit at 8 a.m. Monday.

    “We believe your participation would be instrumental in ensuring that any decisions made are fully informed and in the best interests of the people of New Mexico,” the Republicans wrote.

    In an email Thursday afternoon, Michael Coleman, the spokesperson for the governor, told Source that the governor won’t join the tour and also hasn’t decided yet whether she’ll add an ICE detention facility agenda to the special session call.

    “The governor has a busy schedule on Monday and won’t be joining in the tour,” Coleman said. “We’re still working to determine a special session agenda, and no final decision has been made on this particular issue.”

    He also said the governor hasn’t yet decided on a date for the special session, which her lawyer said she anticipated would happen later this month or in September to address federal funding cuts Congress recently enacted in the “Big Beautiful Bill” act. Other crime-related measures could also be on the governor’s call. Se

    nate GOP spokesperson Brandon Harris told Source New Mexico earlier Thursday that delays around background checks likely mean reporters won’t be able to join the lawmakers during their tour, but they intend to hold a news conference or otherwise provide an update to the public about the tour.

    That could be on social media or at a previously scheduled meeting of the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee also occurring Monday in Las Cruces. But the governor, who hadn’t responded to the GOP’s invite as of 1:30 p.m. Monday, would be able to join if she wanted, he said.

    “If anyone could probably get expedited [approval],” it’s the governor, Harris said. “If she wanted to, she probably could.”

    The GOP’s letter said the CCJ committee canceled a long-promised tour of the facility, citing concerns about background checks.

    As of Aug. 4, the average daily inmate population at Otero County Detention Center is 863, an increase of about 60 inmates, on average, since December last year, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. The other two New Mexico facilities in Torrance and Cibola counties have average daily populations of 444 and 223 ICE detainees, respectively, according to TRAC.

    Read more at SourceNM.com.

    Patrick Lohmann has been a reporter since 2007, when he wrote stories for $15 apiece at a now-defunct tabloid in Gallup, his hometown. Since then, he’s worked at UNM’s Daily Lobo, the Albuquerque Journal and the Syracuse Post-Standard.

    This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NM Gov declines GOP’s invite to visit ICE detention center

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