MASON, Tenn. (WTVF) — Officials in Mason have approved two separate agreements to convert a former prison into an immigration detention facility, despite opposition from many residents during a town meeting.
The Mason Board of Aldermen voted to approve a contract with private prison company CoreCivic. In a separate vote, the town says despite initial confusion, it approved an agreement with ICE by a margin of 3-2, with two members abstaining.
"We had the facility for over 30 years, everybody is doing good, I'm not understand why people are against it... it's not human rights, we don't have nothing to do with it," said Mayor Eddie Noeman of Mason.
The 600-bed facility closed in 2021 after the Biden administration ended partnerships with private detention facilities. The Trump administration reversed that policy in January, increasing the focus on deportations.
CoreCivic says more than 2,000 people have applied for 240 job openings at the facility. Detention officers will start at $26.50 per hour, according to the company.
The West Tennessee Detention Facility is expected to generate approximately $325,000 in annual property taxes and provide an annual impact fee of over $200,000 to the city, according to CoreCivic.
However, many community members expressed concerns during the meeting about becoming complicit in what they view as mistreatment of immigrants.
"There's a way for you to stimulate the economy without sacrificing the boat. There's got to be better jobs than that. Are you telling me those are the jobs that you want for your kids?" one Mason resident asked during the meeting.
Critics also pointed to CoreCivic's troubled history in Tennessee, where the company faces dozens of lawsuits for violations at its facilities.
"Yet again, we see the expansion of the dangerous network of private prisons, a system that continuously puts profits over people and disproportionately targets communities of color for mass incarceration," said TIRRC's Government Relations Manager Luis Mata.
In a statement, CoreCivic emphasized that it "does not enforce immigration laws, arrest anyone who may be in violation of immigration laws, or have any say whatsoever in an individual's deportation or release."
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said his administration has not been involved because no state funding is required.
"I will say that Americans have been very clear about the fact that there is a desire to remove dangerous criminals from our streets and communities all across America, including criminals that have come here illegally, and that is the intent of what the President is doing in this country," Lee said.
CoreCivic officials said there is no set timeline for when the facility will reopen.
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