From Indivisible KQA: Urgent Please attend the Town Commissioners meeting on March 4 at 6:30, Sudlersville Town Office.
In spite of an overwhelming show of opposition in January — which included many Indivisibles — the town of Sudlersville is continuing to pursue a zoning amendment that would allow an immigrant detention center to be built in town. The Planning Commission passed the amendment on Feb. 20, so this Wed. the town commissioners will be voting to approve it.
Please be there to support the many residents of Sudlersville who oppose having a detention center in the heart of their town.
At the meeting, we will ask that the proposed change in language in ordinance 2019-05 be withdrawn or voted down.
There are so many reasons, moral and otherwise, that allowing for this kind of prison is wrong. Here are a few of them:
- Immigrant detention centers often imprison people who have crossed the border legally by requesting asylum. They also imprison those who have committed only a civil offense…crossing the border without the proper paperwork is the judicial equivalent of a traffic violation. These people are not threats to our community and do not deserve jail time.
- The more beds available in ICE detention centers, the more people will be detained and the more they will be detained indefinitely. The US Government pays for beds whether they are full or not, so they will fill them.
- Detention is indefinite. There is no end of sentence for detainees. They do not know when they will be released.
- Conditions in these centers can be deplorable, with limited food, medical care, and safety protections for detainees. ICA, the company that has been in talks with Sudlersville, has already been written up for multiple violations.
This is a regional issue:
In areas with prisons like these, there is a greater likelihood of local people ending up imprisoned there. A detention center in Sudlersville will terrorize our neighbors, harm local businesses that rely on immigrant labor, and signal to businesses and families who want to live in this area that we do not welcome them.
This is a state-wide issue:
If it goes forward, Sudlersville would have the first privately-run prison in the state. That would set a precedent for this kind of development state-wide. Private prisons have less oversight than public facilities. Their main objective is profit.
Please spread the word!