Immigrant rights advocates bring fight to recently-opened facility near Philipsburg
A national nonprofit that advocates for immigrant rights brought its fight Thursday to Centre County for the first time.
CASA scored a victory in July when York County ended its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people at its prison. The organization pushed the county’s commissioners for years to end the agreement.
But they knew it was just the first step. Next would come advocating for other detention facilities in the state to end contracts with ICE to ensure people weren’t just shuffled to another facility.
Now they’re taking on one of the biggest challenges they’ve faced yet.
Clearfield County’s commissioners OK’d a five-year pact with ICE in September to reopen a federal prison as the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
The facility can house nearly 2,000 people, making it one of the largest immigrant detention centers in the Northeast. The complex serves as a hub for ICE’s offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newark and New York offices.
About 30 members of the organization poured into the Cold Stream Dam and Recreation Park to rally against the contract. Some held signs that urged President Joe Biden to abolish ICE.
Others shared personal stories after making the more than three-hour drive from Baltimore. One was a mother from Guatemala who weaves indigenous outfits from her home.
Another, Cristina Ventura, takes care of her four children — none older than 17 — on her own because her husband was deported to Mexico.
“There were moments of depression,” Ventura said through a translator. “And my kids were very sad too. Seeing them sad and crying makes me even worse. It’s frustrating.”
The building reopened in November and employs about 280 people, a spokesperson for the company that runs the prison wrote in an email. There were 464 people detained as of Wednesday, an ICE spokesperson wrote.
CASA State Director Daniel Alvalle and Communications Director Jossie Flor Sapunar brushed aside any thought of exhaustion at fighting a similar battle less than a year after the victory in York County.
The organization has scored victories at the county and state level before. Now it’s looking for a win on the federal level.
“Ultimately, what we need is to look at immigration structure that we’ve created,” Sapunar said. “... We need to look at the way we’re doing things now and build a new system that means no immigrant detention, listening to court cases and, ultimately, at the core of that is leading with dignity and respect.”
