ICYMI: Joint Cong. Letter Calls for Closure of Troubled Glades ICE Detention Center

Press Release

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) sent a letter signed by 16 other members to U.S. Department of Homeland (DHS) Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to swiftly close the troubled Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida.

This facility's troubling history of migrant abuse ranges from allegations of medical and sanitation neglect, to claims of excessive force violations. The joint letter urged DHS to end its contract with Glades County, whose contract is up for renewal in March. Wasserman Schultz led a similar letter in July of 2021. Since then, abuse allegations at the Glades have mounted, with 15 civil rights complaints having been filed. Worse, the 300-bed facility does not provide critical occupancy, as its typically houses just a few dozen people.

A number of groups have joined the call for closure, including: Americans for Immigrant Justice, Immigrant Action Alliance, Freedom for Immigrants, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Doctors for Camp Closure, Detention Watch Network, Southern Poverty Law Center, United We Dream, QLatinx, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Legal Aid Service of Broward County, American Friends Service Committee, University of Miami School of Law Immigration Clinic, Community Hotline for Incarcerated People, and the Farmworker Association of Florida.

"People's lives continue to be in danger every minute that the Glades Detention Center remains open," the lawmakers' joint letter stated.

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