A small town in rural Tennessee will soon be the site of a privately-run Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
The town of Mason’s 600-bed prison has been sitting empty for nearly four years, but the West Tennessee Detention Facility will soon be filled with ICE detainees from across the mid-South. The mayor and aldermen narrowly approved the contract at a contentious townhall Tuesday night.
Before a crowd of chanting protestors, Mayor Eddie Noeman stressed the economic opportunities for cash-strapped Mason — and his own status as a first-generation immigrant from Egypt.
“Maybe I agree, disagree, but at the end of the day, I’m (looking) for the benefit of the town of Mason,” Noeman said.
More: Immigration coverage from WPLN News
A few Mason residents voiced their support for the contract, but a majority spoke against reopening the facility.
“This particular detention center will be less than 20 minutes from my son’s high school. And when he graduates, this is not the job I want him to be able to have,” said resident Civil Miller-Watkins. “Tonight, you’re here to decide how much a Black and Brown body costs … All money is not good money.’”
The detention center will be run by CoreCivic, a for-profit prison operator that is currently the subject of a federal civil rights investigation for chronic understaffing and “endemic” violence. The state of Tennessee has fined the company nearly $45 million since 2022 for its inability to staff prisons.
CoreCivic lobbyist Jerry Lankford said the reopening of the prison under ICE will create 240 jobs with an annual salary of $55,000.
“We’ve already had several hundred people submit applications or interest in these jobs,” Lankford said, speaking over shouts of protest from the crowd. “The government partners share a deep commitment to humane care. We are fully committed to that. Our top priority is the safety of the people in our care, our staff and the community.”
The mayor and aldermen ultimately approved the contract in a 4-3 vote, with one alderwoman abstaining. The decision was met by jeers from the public.
“I don’t see no prison,” one resident said. “I see a concentration camp.”
