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Tennessee municipality divided implicit ICE detention installation
Mason, Tennessee — The tiny West Tennessee municipality of Mason, conscionable 2 quadrate miles successful size, is location to astir 1,000 people. But its residents are present divided by what a caller migration detention installation volition mean for the area.
Shannon Whitfield has lived successful Mason for 13 years. Earlier this month, Mason's municipality leaders voted to reopen a shuttered backstage prison, the West Tennessee Detention Facility, and crook it into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
"This is not the spot for an ICE facility. This is not the spot for a for-profit prison," Whitfield told CBS News.
Mason experienced years of fiscal problems, including allegations of corruption and mismanagement much than a decennary agone that near the municipality with a upland of indebtedness and fewer businesses near to assistance it bounce back.
The West Tennessee Detention Facility has been closed for astir 4 years. When it reopens, it has astir 600 beds that could soon beryllium filled with ICE detainees.
The backstage for-profit situation institution that owns it, CoreCivic, says the situation volition make much than 200 caller jobs and boost gross for Mason and the authorities of Tennessee done hundreds of thousands of dollars successful taxes and interaction fees, which are fees that developers wage to municipalities.
That is wherefore Mason Mayor Eddie Noeman says helium supports the detention center. But municipality Alderwoman Virginia Rivers voted against it.
"I request it to beryllium wide I americium each for jobs coming to municipality of Mason," Rivers told CBS News. "What I'm not for is erstwhile it comes to mistreating the people. All wealth is not bully money."
Immediately aft taking bureau successful January, President Trump reversed a argumentation instituted by erstwhile President Joe Biden successful 2021 that prevented the Justice Department from renewing contracts with backstage situation firms. CoreCivic besides owned the West Tennessee Detention Facility astatine the clip and was forced to adjacent it successful 2021 due to the fact that of Biden's enforcement order.
In a connection connected the reopening of the prison, CoreCivic said it was "proud to proceed our long-standing narration wrong the Mason and Tipton County community, going backmost astir 35 years," and adding that it did not "have a timeline to stock regarding erstwhile the installation volition go operational."
CoreCivic is the largest private, for-profit situation steadfast successful the U.S., and the sole backstage situation relation successful Tennessee. However, CoreCivic has repeatedly been recovered successful Tennessee state audits to beryllium deficient successful staffing and turnover.
A CBS News analysis of Tennessee authorities information released earlier this summertime showed that inmates are doubly arsenic apt to beryllium killed successful CoreCivic prisons compared to government-run prisons. CoreCivic has disputed that analysis.
"The ICE installation is not, does not and volition not assistance Mason to spell forward," Rivers said. "We request different things successful our community. We request homes. We request a school, time care."
West Tennessee could perchance spot different businesses, like Ford, bring caller jobs to the country successful the future, but that would not beryllium for respective years. Until then, Mason remains astatine a crossroads.
"I don't privation my neighbors to spell to enactment retired there," Whitfield said. "I don't privation them to person to marque that prime of, to get benefits and to get capable money. They person to springiness distant that portion of their soul."
Skyler Henry and Dan Ruetenik contributed to this report.
Nicole Valdes is simply a analogous based successful Nashville. Valdes was astir precocious a upwind analogous with FOX Weather. Since joining FOX Weather successful 2021, Valdes covered breaking and processing weather-related quality for the streaming service. Valdes reported from astir 40 states, starring web sum of Hurricane Ian's interaction connected Florida, arsenic good arsenic countless tornadoes, flood, and wildfires. As a arrogant bilingual journalist, Valdes enactment her skills guardant to nutrient and study an in-depth portion connected Hurricane Maria's interaction to Puerto Rico. Prior to this role, Valdes worked arsenic a newsman and fill-in anchor successful Phoenix, Arizona, wherever she led the station's sum of the 2020 Presidential election. She was besides a multimedia writer for the CBS-affiliate successful Fort Myers, Florida. Valdes graduated from the University of Florida successful Gainesville.
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