Tennessee town approves deals to turn closed prison into immigration detention facility
The five-member Board of Aldermen in Mason, plus Mayor Eddie Noeman and Vice Mayor Reynaldo Givhan, met in a fire station garage to discuss converting the closed West Tennessee Detention Facility into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center run by CoreCivic Inc.
Also present were a few dozen vocal, angry members of the public who oppose allowing ICE to house immigrants in Mason who have been taken into custody as President Donald Trump pushes for mass deportations. Trump has touted a Florida detention facility where allegations of mistreatment of detainees have drawn lawsuits from civil rights advocates and environmental groups.
The first vote of the meeting resulted in approval for a contract with CoreCivic to resume operating the facility, which was closed in 2021 after President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice to stop renewing contracts with private detention facilities. Trump reversed that order in January. The second vote, to approve an agreement with ICE, also passed.
It is not immediately known when the facility will reopen.
Mayor points to job-generating potential
Noeman said he wanted to reopen the shuttered prison to bring jobs and economic development to the town, which has struggled with financial problems and needs infrastructure improvements. With a population of about 1,300, Mason is located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Memphis. When it was open, the prison was the town's largest employer and an important economic engine.
Noeman, an Egyptian-American immigrant and a longtime business owner in the town, called turning the closed prison over to CoreCivic and ICE a "win-win situation," which led to a cascade of loud boos.
"It's nothing personal about any immigrant," Noeman said, adding moments later that "to give jobs to the people is what I'm looking for."
At times, Noeman argued with attendees, questioning whether they actually live in Mason and telling them "you don't know what you're talking about."
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