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The Town of Southwest Ranches, Corrections Corporation of American (CCA), and DHS / ICE want to build one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation within walking distance of thousands of homes; thus, reducing the quality of our life and our community. We do not agree with the federal government privatizing our immigration detention centers throughout the nation when there is clear evidence that privatizing our prisons creates a clear public safety threat. For ICE to continue to privatize these institutions and bring this safety threat through their "secure communities Initiative" to our community is unacceptable. Depriving someone of their liberty is a non-delegable governmental function and privatizing of such a function is infecting our nation like a virus.

The Town of Southwest Ranches has now entered into it's THIRD Fire Contract within the last year now with the Town of Davie, costing taxpayers $120,000 in ramp up fees. They are now closing several roads in western Southwest Ranches charging the tax payers $80,000 for the gates. They have paid an unknown amount of money for lobbying with ICE regarding this prison. They have several lawsuits against the Town, 1- Involving Open Meeting Violations on a November 5th meeting concerning the ICE Detention Center, 2- Open Records Violations, and 3- The Town is putting together a lawsuit to sue Pembroke Pines for breach of contract because the City utilized their exit clause and cancelled for convenience their Fire/EMS contract which included water and sewer at the last minute for the CCA prison. In the contract it states that there should be no third party beneficiaries. CCA would be a third party in this instance.

CCA has also filed suit in Federal court against the City of Pembroke Pines saying they are denying them water however the City had never seen a water application. The City did file for a Declaratory Judgement in State Court but that has been put on hold until the Federal Court hears the suit from CCA.

Is ANYONE CONFUSED as to why the Pembroke Pines/Southwest Ranches Fire Agreement was cancelled? The Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff attempted to "slip" into the agreement a portion that guaranteed water for the prison at CCA's request. This is something that should have been brought up separately. CCA should have brought it forward on their own in a water application. This is sleight of hand that CCA and the Town attempted to do because they were so afraid of CCA being on the Pembroke Pines agenda.

As of June 2012, ICE put out a statement that the site selection was no longer needed due to the fact that the extra bedspace was no longer needed. READ UPDATE HERE!


Friday, June 15, 2012

VICTORY!

*** LATE BREAKING NEWS!  DATELINE SOUTHWEST RANCHES, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA JUNE 15, 2012

ICE PULLS PLUG ON SWR FACILITY.

IN A FIGHT WITH A CORRUPT, INSULAR TOWN GOVERNMENT, A BEHEMOTH ALPHABET SOUP FEDERAL AGENCY, AND THE EVER PREDATORY PRISON, INC. TO PLACE A 2500 BED IMMIGRANT PRISON IN OUR BACK YARDS WHICH BEGAN ALMOST EXACTLY A YEAR AGO APPEARS TO HAVE ENDED AN IGNOMINIOUS DEATH.

MULTIPLE SOURCES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND IN MEDIA HAVE CONFIRMED THAT DHS'S IMMIGRATION CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE) HAVE PULLED THE PLUG ON THE PROPOSED CCA / SWR FEDERAL IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTER.

THE CENTER HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF A PITCHED BATTLE BETWEEN RESIDENTS WHO DON'T WANT THE FACILITY AND EVERYBODY ELSE FROM CCA TO MAYOR JEFF NELSON, CONGRESSWOMAN DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ AND SENATOR BILL NELSON.  PINES COMMISSIONER CARL SHECHTER SAID IT HAS BEEN THE MOST BLISTERING GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN HE'S EVER SEEN.

WE ARE WAITING FOR THE MEDIA REPORTS WHICH SHOULD START TO APPEAR OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS TO CONFIRM THIS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE TOLL HAS BEEN GREAT AND MANY IMMENSE SACRIFICES HAVE BEEN MADE TO DEFEND OUR COMMUNITY FROM THIS INVASION.  IN THE END, IT WAS THE ONLY COURSE OF ACTION POSSIBLE.  APOLOGIES TO ALL WHO HAVE SUFFERED...

*** END TRANSMISSION


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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 7:59 PM

    Woo!! Hoo!! Every minute spent fighting this prison was well worth it!! We would do it again to prevent our town and city from being ruined! CCA go away! PRIVATE PRISONS LOSE AGAIN!!! Thank you ICE, you were listening and watching....RAID ROCKS!!

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  2. Jill AronofskyJune 16, 2012 at 12:13 AM

    It was a rough fight. We can claim VICTORY!!! To all our RAID supporters and all the hard work we put into this campaign a big fat "Thank YOU" to everyone. "THANK YOU" to ICE for realizing how destructive this facility would've been to our community!!!

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  3. AnonymousJune 16, 2012 at 12:24 AM

    I an so Happy that ICE came to its senses! This has been a long fight but the outcome is well worth it!

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  4. Bill Di ScipioJune 16, 2012 at 1:12 AM

    My heartfelt thanks goes out to all the residents and other interested groups such as FLIC, The Sierra Club, Unitarian and United Methodist churches, and ACLU who participated in this fight. There is no way this battle could not have been won without the yard signs, never ending turnout a Pines and SWR commission meetings, ICE meeting, and various protestors and your donations. Every bit of it helped to win this battle.

    Now it's time to remember our opponents at the polls in November. Specifically, Mayor Jeff Nelson, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senator Bill Nelson who were all staunch supporters of this prison.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 16, 2012 at 8:29 AM

      How can anyone ever forget? We'll go door to door to remind them! Who, but the few "connected cronies" could ever vote for anyone connected with bringing this prison to our community! It's time SWR residents took back their town!

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    2. AnonymousJune 16, 2012 at 9:27 AM

      Well said!!The town will never be run correctly until the current officials are OUT!!!!! A big cloud will be hanging over our heads unless SWR is run by people that LISTEN TO THE RESIDENTS!!!! AND NOT THEIR POCKETS!!!

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  5. AnonymousJune 16, 2012 at 8:26 AM

    Goes to show that you can never give up the fight. Many days & nights at City Commision mtgs, rallies, etc. and WE WON! Never let the big, rich, corrupt bully you. This is OUR world, worth fighting for. Hooray!!!!!!

    I ditto Bill Di Scipio - make your mark at the polls this coming election, get rid of the bullies.

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  6. AnonymousJune 16, 2012 at 3:54 PM

    Thank you to everyone who supported this cause, we couldn't have done it without you.

    Nelson needs to go next. Its time to start cleaning this town. Its time the leaders start serving the residents instead of the other way around and watching our hard earned tax money go into corrupt pockets. This includes Keith 'paid off' Poliakoff

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  7. AnonymousJune 16, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    SWR pro-prison people should be thanking all of the people who fought to keep this prison out of the town! States have said they we "OUT LAWYERED" by CCA!!

    Do they really think this little town could get a good contract negotiated by a small town, overpaid lawyer? The town has been spared years of financial and legal problems. CCA has pages and pages of lawsuits!

    Not to mention the adverse effect of being a PRISON TOWN! CCA would have owned and run the town!

    THANK YOU FOR SAVING OUR TOWN!!

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  8. Jill AronofskyJune 16, 2012 at 8:12 PM

    To all of you who took the time to thank those of us that spent countless hours and energy to terminate this "PRISON" I thank you for your support. Please continue to help us as we will call on you again to support our candidate for MAYOR!!!!!! You helped make a difference, and we will be there to carry it through. With deep respect and again a big "THANK YOU". Jill

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