Many Pennsylvania families include members who emigrated from other countries. While many of them spent weeks (even months or years) preparing the appropriate documents and navigating the immigration system before crossing the border, others’ situations were much more acute, landing them on United States soil without proper legal statuses. In either situation, an immigrant may still be at risk for detainment, as made evident by the filled-to-capacity immigration detention centers throughout the nation.
New detention facilities are being erected all the time. One proposed project has many people in another state greatly concerned. The Management & Training Corporation is a for-profit company that manages private prisons, immigration detention centers and U.S. Job Corps Centers throughout the nation. The company is currently being sued for alleged discrimination against tribal members on its employee staff.
The current lawsuit is not an isolated incident when it comes to allegations of inappropriate conduct against the Management & Training Corporation. With regard to one of its immigration detention facilities, the company has been accused of housing detained immigrants in inhumane conditions. Witnesses say the facility was filthy, served tainted food and that staff members sexually assaulted detainees.
That same company now wants to construct a new immigration detention center in Wyoming. The new facility would contain approximately 600 beds and would serve a four-state region in the area. The mayor of the county where the building has been proposed says he thinks the project is just what the area needs to boost its failing economy. Others are quite concerned, mainly because of the company’s poor reputation. Pennsylvania immigrants facing particular legal problems regarding immigration detention centers in this state may seek guidance from experienced immigration attorneys for help to rectify their situations.
Source: trib.com, “Private prison company pursuing Wyoming immigration detention center has troubled past“, Elise Schmelzer, Jan. 8, 2018