News on ICE Warehouses
May 19: Friends of the Everglades released a statement saying that the state of Florida has received a payment of $58.2M from the feds in the first ever payment for Alligator Alcatraz. Groups are expected to argue that this payment meets the definition of a “major federal action” and will trigger an environmental statute. Gov. DeSantis has said that the closure of the facility is under discussion.
May 20: ProjectSalt Box identified a procurement notice in a DHS database listing a potential contract to maintain and do caretaker activities potentially at ICE warehouses with a contract value between $10-20M. These documents were apparently being worked while legal cases were progressing through the courts on several warehouses. As of May 26th, the solicitation has not been listed on SAM.gov. It is possible that the contract was released through another contract vehicle using pre-approved vendors.
May 20: A status hearing on May 27th has been announced for Romulus, MI signaling a potential agreement over a NEPA review. The ICE warehouse in Michigan where DHS wants to house 500 detainees is on a floodplain with only one sewer line. Maryland and New Jersey have reached agreements with DHS to study water and sewer.
May 21: Social Circle issued a press release entitled: Not in Our Town or Anywhere: Social Circle Sues to Keep ICE Warehouses Out of Community. The release was signed by ten organizations and contained statements by advocates.
May 21: Project Salt Box reported that GardaWorld Federal Services was actively recruiting through job postings in Surprise, AZ. They are looking for medical personnel, security guards, operational support, and transportation staff. While legal battles remain, GardaWorld seems to be indicating a belief that the ICE facility will become operational this year. Also of concern is that all the job posting contain a warning that employees may be exposed to extreme temperatures, airborne particles, chemicals, and noise.
May 22: The Trump administration announced a major change in immigration practice that will likely affect many. Anyone with a temporary visa who wants to change their immigration status to obtain a green card will now be required to return to their home country for consular processing. A former USCIS official said that each year about 1M people apply for green cards and about half of them change their status while in the US. Keeping in mind that over 100 countries have now been banned entry, it’s easy to see that consular processing is a dead end for many.
May 25: The Delaney Hall detention center became a site of protest over Memorial Day weekend. Detainees have been holding a hunger strike over medical neglect and living conditions. On Memorial Day, Gov. Mikie Sherill was denied access to the facility and US Senator Andy Kim was caught in a volley of pepper spray deployed by ICE as ICE apparently attempted to move protestors back during an escalating scene outside Delaney Hall.
May 26: NoCCUS.org held a training on ICE contracts. The training covered the basics of using http://www.usaspending.gov and went on to explain the creation of the NoCCUS database from which state reports are generated. Uses of the information was explored as well as avenues for further research.
May 27: Final comments on the draft letter on coworking spaces that ICE has currently under solicitation were due. The next phase will involve coordination among organizations for signature. Twelve companies have been identified to receive the letter in this initial action.
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