{"id":1486,"date":"2023-02-08T12:02:52","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T12:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/ib\/?p=1486"},"modified":"2023-03-03T12:03:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T12:03:07","slug":"pennsylvanian-immigration-detention-center-shuts-down-raising-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/ib\/detention\/pennsylvanian-immigration-detention-center-shuts-down-raising-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvanian Immigration Detention Center Shuts Down, Raising Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Immigration advocates are celebrating the news that the Berks County Residential Center, an immigration detention facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania, has officially closed its doors. The closure results from the fifth immigration prison contract to end under the Biden administration. Advocates maintain the closure signals a larger trend that immigration prisons do not need to exist, while others believe the facilities are necessary for effective enforcement of immigration law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Immigrant Detention Facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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In the United States, immigrant detention facilities house individuals while they await legal determinations concerning their immigration status.\u00a0Many organizations, including the\u00a0ACLU<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Freedom for Immigrants<\/a>, oppose these facilities on humanitarian grounds.\u00a0Nonetheless, the number of immigrant detention centers has\u00a0increased<\/a>\u00a0in recent history, though the Biden administration has sought to limit such facilities. With an increasing immigrant population and increased efforts to enforce immigration laws, immigrant detention facilities have become the standard for housing those who violate immigration laws.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Berks County Residential Center opened in 2001 as a \u201cfamily detention center\u201d with approximately 100 beds. In its short history, however, there were\u00a0serious allegations<\/a>\u00a0of abuse, including sexual assault, verbal abuse, and medical neglect. In fact, the conditions at the facility gave rise to many protests, including a\u00a0hunger strike<\/a>\u00a0that garnered international attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pennsylvania Advocates Seek to End Immigration Detention Facilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Organized in 1998, the\u00a0Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition<\/a>\u00a0seeks to advance immigrant rights and interests. Among other things, the group has tirelessly advocated for the closure of the Berks County Residential Center, citing an ongoing pattern of humanitarian concerns that justified the closure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many groups sought closure of the Berks County facility. Another group,\u00a0Make the Road Pennsylvania<\/a>, a nonprofit committed to organizing justice for communities in need, advocated for the same cause. Flor Gonz\u00e1lez, a member leader of the group,\u00a0recently said<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cthis victory belongs to the immigrant families and women detained at Berks who shared their stories and demanded dignity, and to the organizers who never lost hope and never stopped fighting for immigrant families to be free and together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Future of Immigration Detention Facilities in the United States<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The closure of the Berks County facility raises questions about the future of immigration detention facilities under the Biden administration. With 12 more detention centers with\u00a0contracts expiring<\/a>\u00a0this year, advocates hope the Berks County facility is the first domino of many. However, the Biden administration has taken a mixed approach to immigration issues, with the number of individuals in detention\u00a0increasing<\/a>\u00a0under President Biden\u2019s watch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To learn more about this blog post, or if you have any other\u00a0immigration concerns<\/a>, please feel free to contact me at\u00a0rglahoud@norris-law.com<\/a>\u00a0or (484) 544-0022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Immigration advocates are celebrating the news that the Berks County Residential Center, an immigration detention facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania, has officially closed its doors. The closure results from the fifth immigration prison contract to end under the Biden administration. 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