WASHINGTON— Today, the Biden Administration announced it will close the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigrant Detention Facility in Massachusetts and the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. Both facilities were notorious for allegations of abuse against detainees. Most notably, the Irwin County Detention Center is currently under federal investigation for performing hysterectomies on female detainees without their consent.

“Closing these centers is the only acceptable option after these horrific actions,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. “From the mass hysterectomies at Irwin to the patterns of abuse and suspicious deaths occurring in facilities across the country, we have seen time and time again that the immigrant detention apparatus is fundamentally broken. Many of these facilities like Irwin are privately-owned and have created a perverse profit incentive to keep more immigrants locked up. I applaud the Biden Administration for this action and urge them to look critically at other ICE detention centers across the country and explore community-based alternatives to detention that value humanity over profit margins.”

Rep. Grijalva has introduced the Justice is Not for Sale Act to ban local, state, and federal entities from contracting with private prison companies​ and immigration detention centers.

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