We Agree! It's Not a Prison!

We have been told that the CCA immigrant prison is not a prison for months now.  Even though in their internal communications the Town of Southwest Ranches calls it a prison and even though it fits the precise definition of prison, we now agree.  It's not a prison... it's so much more than a prison.  


In order for ICE to get around the lengthy bid process, they have opted to use Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSA's) with City/Town/County governments in States across the country in order to contract with private prison operators, primarily Corrections Corporation of America or the Geo Group.  An example of such a contract is HERE.  So this isn't merely a private corporation exercising "property rights" because they actually NEED the Town of Southwest Ranches to contract with ICE in order for them to build a facility on their property.  Who is going to build a prison without a customer?  So, they went and found a customer... ICE.

This facility is a part of the Department of Homeland Security initiatives to reform the Immigration System.  On the surface, it looks like they are attempting to overcome the bad reputation that has followed the agency for decades. However having such a large facility near communities, which is one of their mandates, does not look like such a good idea.  Included in these reforms for ICE is a much broader use of the Alternative to Detention Program (ATD) which allows detainees who qualify for it to wear an ankle bracelet and come and go from the facility for court dates, health related issues.  According to DHS Documents, this ATD program has a broad spectrum and can reach 85 miles from the facility.

As of September 30, 2009 there were approximately 1,487,706 people released back into the population and 184,083 people incarcerated.  This gives us a ratio of 89% released and 11% incarcerated.  Using these ratios are important as we can then extrapolate it for our situation here in Southwest Ranches, FL.    **ICE provided this information from their "Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk"; we did not verify its accuracy.

Based on this information we can assume this 89/11 ratio to determine the total amount of people who will be coming and going from this facility and will be monitored from this facility within the 85 mile circumference.  If only 11% of the people who will be incarcerated will be at most 1500 people, then the total number of people being released through ATD of 89% would be approximately 12,000 people.

Those 12 THOUSAND Detainees will be driving back and forth (Do they have a drivers license or insurance?) for check-in, immigration hearings in one of the four courtrooms, dental & healthcare, drug & alcohol rehab, etc.  This will be a hub for all things immigration related as they "harness" this facility to provide the maximum amount of benefits to meet ICE objectives. Not to mention the fact that there is a restriction placed in the CCA/SWR Agreement that they cannot house MAXIMUM security detainees here, however ICE ERO Director Gary Mead states that it will house such detainees inside. Who do we believe?  ICE or CCA?

"Mead said two similar detention centers are planned for south Florida and Chicago, but those will also house medium and high-risk detainees."

Per Sam Poole, CCA's attorney, says the maximum security classification would only apply to a prison population, not a detention center.  Why would ICE have a different way of classifying their detainees?  People cannot come and go, it's still a prison.  Why go through the extra effort to classify their detainees differently?  It's a mystery.  

Back to ATD.  You ask who will be given these ankle bracelets?  Although we realize that they will be used for thousands of non-criminal immigrants and people who have come here for a better life... they will also be used for criminals.  Here is the breakdown that DHS/ICE uses to determine if a detainee would get an ankle bracelet...and that's if they even HAVE the criminal history on file.

Level 1 Crimes	Level 2 Crimes	Level 3 Crimes
Homicide	Arson	Sovereignty
Kidnapping	Burglary	Military
Sexual Assault	Larceny	Immigration
Robbery Stolen	Vehicles	Extortion
Assault	Forgery	Damage Property
Threats	Fraud Family	Offenses
Extortion – Threat to Injure Person	Embezzlement	Gambling
Sex Offenses	Stolen Property	Commercialized Sex
Offenses Cruelty Toward Child, Wife	Damage Property w/Explosive	Liquor
Resisting an Officer	Traffic Offenses	Obstructing the Police
Weapon	Smuggling	Bribery
Hit and Run	Money Laundering	Health and Safety
Drugs (Sentence > 1 year)	Property Crimes	Civil Rights
Drugs (Sentence < 1 year)	Invasion of Privacy	Elections Laws

People are evaluated by ICE and CCA's medical providers for the ATD program and it is then determined whether a person is able to wear the ankle bracelet (ATD) or some other form of alternative detention.  Mind you, once someone has served their time in prison for any crime, they are still released out of the prison, however I think this brings a different aspect to our area as the women in BCI don't come and go.  I also have to wonder why ICE doesn't begin deportation proceedings while they are still incarcerated for their crimes instead of creating a scenario where they have to be put into yet another facility... no one said the government was efficient.

Let me give you some real life scenarios of when this ATD system was used and what the results were.  This one was taken from an incident that happened a couple of years ago.  The full report can be read here.

On August 1, 2010, Montano crashed into oncoming traffic, killing one passenger and critically injuring two others, all of whom were Catholic nuns.
 

ICE agents determined that Montano was a candidate for the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program and that they could ensure he would appear for immigration hearings if they monitored his whereabouts using GPS technology.    Officers released Montano on the prior order of supervision (dating back to 2008) with the  condition that he report to ICE on a regular basis.
 

In 2009, as a result of the October 2008 DUI arrest, the Circuit Court of Prince William County convicted Montano and sentenced him to serve 12 months and 3 days in jail. However, the judge in Prince William County suspended 11 months and 13 days of Montano’s sentence.
 

On December 3, 2009, Montano and his attorney appeared in immigration court. Montano’s attorney again sought to terminate the removal proceedings. Over ICE’s objection, EOIR again postponed the case, this time until August 19, 2010.  On August 1, 2010, just 18 days before the date of the rescheduled hearing before EOIR, Montano crashed his car into another vehicle, killing one nun and critically injuring two.

An example of more incompetence from ICE Officials.  ICE actually admits to releasing a Rapist!

“A suspected child rapist is on the loose and in a statement obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accepts responsibility for releasing him.”

“…a memo issued by ICE Director John Morton in June gave ICE agents guidance on how to handle such a situation. In that memo, Morton attempted to define acceptable discretion that ICE agents could use when investigating and processing suspected illegal aliens. That memo emphasized that ICE agents should focus on individuals deemed dangerous while de-emphasizing non-violent offenders.”

Verdin said that electronic monitoring and other tracking tools are available to ICE agents, but the agency declined to clarify whether or not Espinoza was given such monitoring.”

ICE took custody of Espinoza-Ramirez on Sept. 2, but later that day ICE officials released him pending a November hearing before an immigration judge. Espinoza-Ramirez never showed up for that Nov. 18 hearing, and he’s been a fugitive ever since.

Because ICE placed a detainer on Espinoza-Ramirez, Cook County jail officials didn’t release him. Rather, Espinoza-Ramirez was first handed over to ICE.

According to a statement from ICE, acquired exclusively by TheDC, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed an immigration detainer on Amado Espinoza-Ramirez at the Cook County Jail on Aug. 31, 2011. He was transferred to ICE custody on Sept. 2, 2011, placed into removal proceedings, and released the same day pending a hearing before an immigration judge.”

“He failed to appear for a hearing in federal immigration court and was ordered removed in absentia on Nov. 18, 2011. He is currently considered to be an immigration fugitive with an outstanding order of deportation. As an immigration fugitive, Mr. Espinoza-Ramirez falls within ICE’s enforcement priorities,” said the federal agency in a statement.

ICE would say nothing more on the record about the suspect or the circumstances surrounding his release.”

To read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/21/ice-admits-releasing-alleged-child-rapist/

Another shocking example would be a recent incident where a detainee released from Krome Avenue Detention Facility kills a vibrant young 15 year old Ashley Chow, a 25 year old family friend and her boyfriend.   

Kesler Dufrene, who last year slaughtered three people in North Miami after being let out of immigration custody, wasn’t the only convict released to the streets because of a moratorium on deportations to Haiti.

In Dufrene’s case, he was not required to wear any sort of electronic monitoring system. Instead, Dufrene simply had to present himself to immigration authorities in person once a month, which he did not do — although he did call immigration agents to reschedule shortly before the murders.

Of the hundreds of convicts currently released to the streets, only 55 are required to wear electronic monitors, according to ICE.

A convicted burglar from Manatee County, Dufrene was sentenced to five years in prison in 2005. While in prison, an immigration judge ordered that he be deported to Haiti. 

When his prison term was up in September 2010, Dufrene was transferred to immigration custody and housed at the Krome Detention Center in West Miami-Dade.

But ICE released him one month later — and two months after that, he fatally shot the Ashley Chow, 15, a family friend, Harlen Peralta, 25, and her boyfriend, Israel Rincon, 35, inside a North Miami house. 

Eighteen days after the Jan. 2, 2011 murders, Manatee County deputies shot and killed him after an unrelated break-in and shooting there.

Now, imagine that one of these scenarios included your family member, your child walking to or from school around this facility.  Wouldn't you want to keep this from happening to your neighbor, friend or your family?  Do you want someone you know to become a statistic in this game ICE plays evaluating Risk to our community?  

I have to ask this question... why do we need these prisons if they aren't even allowed to detain people in the first place?  Is this prison just a payback to CCA from Obama??  Is he using ICE to give favors to his political donors?  Watch the video below!

They keep telling us this isn't a prison... We agree.  This is MUCH MORE than a prison, and will have a MUCH LARGER impact on our SAFETY and OUR WAY OF LIFE!

** Most of these links are cited within the story however the DHS specifics are taken from the DHS Risk Assessment found HERE.