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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, February 10, 2012

The Interlopers Have Arrived to Prey on Residents

LATE BREAKING NEWS... DATELINE FEBRUARY 10, 2012, SOUTHWEST RANCHES, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.

THE INTERLOPERS HAVE ARRIVED AND THEY WANT JOBS.  THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORS, THE SCHOOLS, IMMIGRANTS WHO'S LIVES ARE RUINED, OR THEIR BROTHERS IN THE TEAMSTERS WHO SEE THEIR CORRECTIONS OFFICER'S JOBS GOING TO UNDERPAID, NON UNION LABOR.



ORGANIZED LABOR HAS JOINED THE FIGHT **FOR** THE IMMIGRANT PRISON. LATE AFTERNOON YESTERDAY, WE WERE CONTACTED BY WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN AN INSIDER IN THE CARPENTERS LOCAL 79.  THEY INFORMED US THAT LOCAL 79 WAS PAYING FOR ROBOCALLS SCARING RESIDENTS THAT DEFEAT OF THE IMMIGRANT PRISON WOULD RESULT IN TAX INCREASES ON THE ORDER OF $6 MILLION A YEAR FOR PEMBROKE PINES.  THEY DID NOT MENTION THAT THIS FACILITY WILL BE PAID FOR BY FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS AND COST US *ALL* AN ADDITIONAL $25 MILLION DOLLARS IN TAXES A YEAR.  PAY ME NOW, OR PAY ME LATER.
WE TRIED TO CONTACT MIGUEL FUENTES LATE AFTERNOON TO FIGURE OUT WHY THEY WERE GETTING INVOLVED IN A FIGHT AGAINST THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN WEST BROWARD COUNTY.  OUR CALL WAS NOT ANSWERED NOR RETURNED.

AT 7 PM, A LARGE ORGANIZED LABOR FACTION WAS PRESENT AT THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING LAST NIGHT, FEBRUARY 09.  THE INSIDER'S INFORMATION WAS CORRECT IN THAT MR. FUENTES HAS DECIDED TO PICK A FIGHT WITH PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT THEIR HOMES AND COMMUNITIES VIOLATED BY SUCH A HEINOUS FACILITY.

MR. FUENTES SPOKE ABOUT HIS MEMBERS WHO'S HOUSES ARE BEING FORECLOSED UPON BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE WORK. WE VERY MUCH SYMPATHIZE WITH THOSE THAT ARE OUT OF WORK, BUT OUR OWN RESIDENTS WILL SUFFER AND MANY MAY LOSE HOMES BECAUSE OF THIS PRISON.  WE HAVE MANY HOUSES UP FOR SALE THAT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SELL IF THIS PRISON GOES IN. COLDWELL BANKER REQUIRES INDEMNIFICATION BY POTENTIAL BUYERS AGAINST THE PRISON. THOSE MAY GO INTO FORECLOSURE.


NOR DID MR. FUENTES MENTION HIS RECENT TRIP TO TALLAHASSEE WHERE HE WAS LOBBYING FOR YET ANOTHER CONTENTIOUS CLIENT, THE CASINO INDUSTRY.  WFSU REPORTS HIS LOBBYING ACTIVITY THERE:
"Miguel Fuentes represents the Florida Carpenters Association and traveled from Hialeah to Tallahassee to ask lawmakers to approve the bill and put people to work."
IT'S WRONG FOR ONE COMMUNITY TO PROSPER OFF THE DEFILEMENT OF ANOTHER.  IT SEEMS THE CARPENTERS ARE COMING IN FROM OUTSIDE OUR COMMUNITIES, WILL BE GONE IN 12 MONTHS WHEN CONSTRUCTION IS FINISHED AND LEAVING US WITH A DISGUSTING PRISON IN OUR BACK YARD THAT WILL EVER HURT OUR HOMES AND COMMUNITY.

WE URGE MR. FUENTES TO RESPECT THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH WHAT THEY BUILD.  WE URGE HIM TO RESPECT FELLOW UNION LABOR BY NOT SUPPORTING THE PRIVATIZATION OF PRISONS.  WE URGE HIM TO RESPECT THE IMMIGRATION ISSUE AND NOT BE JUST ONE MORE BUNCH OF CRONY CAPITALISTS LOOKING TO PROFIT OFF THE BACKS OF IMMIGRANTS AND THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.

WE URGE HIM TO LOOK FOR BETTER SOLUTIONS THAN BUILDING PRISONS AND CASINOS. THESE ARE ALL UNPRODUCTIVE.  LET'S PUT *ALL* AMERICANS BACK TO WORK IN GOOD PAYING JOBS IN TECH, BIO, ENERGY OR WHATEVER. SURELY MR. FUENTES DOESN'T THINK WHAT HE'S LOBBYING FOR REPRESENTS THE BEST THAT AMERICA CAN BE?


PLEASE DON'T COME INTO OUR HOMES AND PICK A FIGHT WITH US. YOU DON'T HAVE A DOG IN THIS FIGHT.


OH, AND IF THE INSIDER WOULD DROP US A LINE AND LET US KNOW WHICH POLITICIAN IS PUSHING THIS, WE'D APPRECIATE IT.


END TRANSMISSION...


5 comments:

  1. Another LIE BY DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ to bring jobs to residents of PP and SWR. Now we are getting UNION EMPLOYEES or have been recruited by some uncaring individual who wants this Facility Built, and doesn't care who they bring into the middle of this OPPOSITION. Let it be known they're not residents of BROWARD COUNTY EITHER!!!! They're also crossing the line of their TEAMSTER BROTHERS!!!!!!We will continue our VIGOROUS EFFORTS TO FIGHT THIS PRISON!!!!!!

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  2. The SIERRA CLUB opposition of this facility will help in resolving the ROBOCALLS from the Carpenters Union. SIERRA CLUB states "SFWMD Regional Water Availability requires the city(PP) to construct an alternative water supply at GREAT PUBLIC COST". THIS IS ONLY REQUIRED IF THE FACILITY IS BUILT!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. http://floridaindependent.com/69544/miguel-fuentes-cca-immigration-detention-center

    In this article Fuentes ADMITS to recording the calls for CCA. Notice how condescending he is towards illegal immigrants. Read what he said:

    "Fuentes says the center would house detainees who have not adhered to U.S. law and were tried, convicted and now will be “sent back to where they came from.”

    “We are not talking about folks who are trying to earn an honest living, feed their family and help someone back home,” he says. “We are compassionate. We fight for those types people and worker’s rights all the time.”

    Point of correction. These people haven't necessarily been convicted. The facility will have a federal court room in order to try some of them. Also, he insinuates that anybody picked up and put in this prison will NOT be "people who are here trying to earn an honest living." He has no clue about how the Secure Communities program works.

    He should spend a bit less of his spare time "recording robocalls for CCA" and maybe learn a bit about Secure Communities.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fuentes should be ashamed for supporting a prison in the middle of thousands of homes and families if it was his backyard his property values and his children this was going to be near he'd rethink that selfish statement he made. my house my family yes call me selfish..better than being a money grubbing scab like Fuentes

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  5. If CCA and SWR could get the Teamsters support, THAT would be impressive, but the carpenters union just makes me laugh

    ReplyDelete

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