A US city cut ties with its troubled migrant detention center. That could make things even worse

The decision could mean more business – and fewer rules – for the private company behind the Adelanto, California, site

Eric Fernandez in Adelanto, California
Tue 14 May 2019 11.00 BST Last modified on Tue 14 May 2019 14.22 BST

The immigration detention center in Adelanto, California, is flanked by industrial buildings, power lines and expansive mountain views. At its front entryway, the American flag flies alongside the banner of the Geo Group, the private prison corporation operating the facility for US immigration authorities.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) processing center in this high desert town is home to nearly 2,000 immigrants, many of whom are asylum seekers. There have been numerous allegations of detainee abuse and mistreatment at the facility, prompting investigations from several state, federal and non-governmental agencies.

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A surprise announcement

Last month, in a surprise announcement, the Adelanto city manager, Jessie Flores, declared an end to the city’s agreement with Ice to manage the facility.

Such contract terminations aren’t unusual. But shrouded in secrecy, the announcement in Adelanto, which came without an opportunity for public comment or even a public vote in the city council, sparked alarm among immigrants’ rights activists.

While activists generally welcome it when cities end their participation in the immigrant detention system, the way Adelanto terminated the agreement was worrying, said Liz Martinez of Freedom for Immigrants, an advocacy group dedicated to ending immigration detention.

Martinez and other critics fear Geo is manipulating local officials and hoping to directly contract with Ice. Without a local government involved in the contract, the company could sidestep a new, strict state law that restricts and regulates the private prison industry.

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