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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!


Showing posts with label florida immigrant coalition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label florida immigrant coalition. Show all posts

Monday, May 28, 2012

RALLY AT DEBBIE'S AVENTURA OFFICE

If you are unable to attend, PLEASE CALL!

(305) 936-5724 OR (954) 437-3936

 Sign our petitions to Debbie HERE!

You can also TAKE ACTION
by signing our other petitions HERE!


Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Vice Mayor Refuses "Clean" Money - Prefers Dirty Money Instead

Members of The Florida Immigrant Coalition had a message for a flustered Vice Mayor McKay and a very quiet Councilman Jablonski.  The message was that people are not for sale and that CCA is profiting off immigrants.

On January 25, 2012, while our Councilmen were being shuttled from meeting to meeting during Broward Days in Tallahassee, members of FLIC recognized them.  Student members of FLIC also knew that Vice Mayor McKay along with the entire Town Council are courting CCA for money from their partnering with them and ICE to build what may be the biggest immigrant detention center in the country.

The students offered money out of their own pockets as an alternate to CCA's money.

Both Councilmen refused to accept the money and the student group theorized out loud that it was because their money was too clean, unlike CCA's and that the Town only wants dirty money.




 

We urge our elected officials in the strongest possible terms to listen to the near unanimous voice of opposition to this prison.  We don't want our community sold out for a siren song of lots and lots of money.  In the end, it will never generate the money for the Town that was long promised.

The students appear to be under the impression that SW Ranches needs the money and are offering them theirs.  That's really shameful given the level of affluence here.  The perception and completely accurate meaning behind what Town officials are saying and doing is that we can't run our Town without profiting off the incarceration of immigrants and taking dirty money from CCA.

Mr. McKay, you need to learn the real facts.  We are self sufficient and affluent beyond most.  Doesn't it cause you ANY discomfort to reflect on the image that you are presenting of this Town as being beggars for federal dollars and getting richer by exploiting the immigration problem?

Listen to Mr. Mckay's responses.  Can anybody tell us exactly what Vice Mayor McKay said?  We hear the words, but there's no meaning.
No, you obviously don't know the issues or facts.
Seriously?  They say you are doing it for profit.  Sounds like what you say all the time.  Are you denying that you are doing this for profit, Vice Mayor?  What issues or facts don't they know?  Do you know any of the details under negotiation, Vice Mayor?  You are about to sign a contract with ICE and you are all ignorant as to what's being negotiated.  Shame on you for telling others to get their facts straight.  You don't even know the basics of what you've allowed CCA and ICE to negotiate on our behalf.
If you don't get involved in your community, you're not up to speed on events and things that take place.
What?  It sounds like everybody IS involved and up to speed (except you).  These activists are apparently from Miami and they were motivated enough to find you in Tallahassee. They also understand the issues better than you do and and that's in spite of your Town Attorney's Cone-of-Silence that ICE and CCA asked him for and his fear of "circling sharks". You all hid behind the cone for months.

What does that have to do with their observation that you are doing this for profit and holding you accountable for it, anyway?
But as we stand here to day, there is a negotiation going on with ICE.
Yeah, negotiation that you all on the Council know nothing about.  Shame on you.

See neighbors, these politicians don't understand a bit of what the public is telling them or even the most basic of facts. We want to deliberate the issues with facts and figures and this is what we get in return. What a nonsensical  stream of cliche. It's really sad if this is the best we can do for elected officials. 

The winds of change are howling.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Spotlight on WLRN

Good work, neighbors.  This radio clip aired over the past few hours both locally and nationally, we believe. Any readers who have heard this outside of the Miami market, please drop us a note.

In the audio, you can hear a clip of the Jimmy Cefalo WIOD interview, you can hear mention of the $1000 endorsement of the prison, and the November 5th ICE meeting. Listen to the audio below the image.