PHILLIPSBURG — On July 27, Pennsylvania groups Pittsburgh Women for Democracy; Indivisible Montgomery County, PA and Friends; Community for Change Montgomery County; Indivisible We Rise West Central PA;
Indivisible Greater Jenkintown; Indivisible: Mayday of Brockport and Indivisible: Outcry of Clarion held a protest at the entrance to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg to raise awareness about the existence of this facility and the injustices immigrants at this private for-profit facility face.
The event was attended by 50 people, including two Faith leaders, one of whom attempted a prayer for immigrants who coincidentally, arrived on an ICE bus during the rally. Ironically, they were told to “Be gone.”
This facility, owned by The Geo Group, has the highest reported rate of use of solitary confinement and reports of mistreatments such as inability to get medical care, physical and psychological abuse by staff, and retaliation for advocating for themselves, according to a 2024 report by Sheller Center for Social Justice, Temple Law School.
The Moshannon Valley Processing Center is the largest immigration detention center in Northeastern United States and it is nearly filled to capacity, now holding over 1,300 people, 72-percent of which are listed as No ICE Threat and 44-percent are identified as Non-Criminal according to the numbers reported in June.
The Geo Group, a publicly traded corporation, has a contract with ICE that guarantees them a minimum of 800 beds filled, and they get paid per head. The GEO Group receives $3.4 million per month to operate the facility. Private prison companies have lobbied politicians to expand immigration detention, with The GEO Group having spent well over $12 million dollars on political lobbying expenditures, campaign donations to elected officials, and ballot measures since 2010. The contract between Clearfield county and GEO helps GEO to circumvent federal contracting requirements that exist when a private company directly contracts with the federal government. It works as an intergovernmental service agreement between ICE and Clearfield county, with ICE paying the county for immigration detention. In turn, the county then contracts with the private operator, GEO, and pays it to operate the facility. However, the commissioners did not publish this information in their agenda to notify the community prior to their vote, in violation of the Sunshine Act. After a lawsuit forced them to follow the proper procedures, they eventually approved a five-year contract, valid until November 2026, by unanimous vote.