Demonstrators plan to gather in front of GEO Group’s Charlotte office in Ballantyne, which owns the facility that ICE wants to convert into detention center.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Protesters across North Carolina are working to stop plans for an ICE detention facility in Winton, one of three facilities in the state federal officials are proposing.
Demonstrators plan to gather Tuesday evening in front of GEO Group’s Charlotte office in Ballantyne, which owns the facility in Winton that ICE wants to convert into a detention center.
“People are shocked โ They’re shocked to hear that, you know, right here in their city, this is happening,” Zach Thomas, with PSL Charlotte, one of the organizers of Tuesday’s protest, said
Susan Hudson traveled to Hertford County to spread the word at a meeting Monday night.
“It’s almost an ambush,” Hudson said. “A lot of people in that government and also the locals, were unaware that this was happening. The ACLU actually had to sue ice for the Freedom of Information Act records last year.”
Hudson says there are still a lot of details that are unclear, furthering their concern.
“Because of this lack of transparency, we have no idea what’s going on and when they’re slated to open,” Hudson said.
GEO Group previously lost federal contracts to house detainees at the Winton site in 2021 after reports of safety issues.
“This doesn’t begin and end with ICE,” Thomas said. “We have to go after the people who are actually responsible for this.”
The protest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. GEO Group did not respond to a request for comment as of Monday evening.
The ACLU noted the other facilities planned in North Carolina include the former American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, as well as an unidentified facility referred to as the “Greensboro Detention Facility.”
For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts that impact you from WCNC Charlotte, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app and enable push notifications.
