On Monday, officials told the Free Press that a federal immigration detention, which would be privately operated and worth up to $35 million, has been proposed on the site of a former state prison in Ionia. Immigration Centers of America was the only bidder for the former Deerfield Correctional Facility, which closed in 2009. It also operates a small civil detention facility in Virginia.
The sale has not yet been signed off on by the state, following the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority’s request for bids. This is according to detention center company lobbyist, Dennis Muchmore, who was Governor Rick Snyder’s former chief of staff.
Several steps must be taken before approval for the sale. These include the federal government issuing a request for proposals to hold between 500 and 600 immigration detainees in a facility, Muchmore says. The facility, which has 166,000 square foot of space, would only house immigrants who have no criminal convictions or charges against them, placed in detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While Muchmore claims that the development could still be some way away, the company’s proposal for 1 October 2018 gives an expected permit receipt date for the facility of late next year. It anticipates opening its doors in late 2020. Land bank officials did not reply to requests for information about the amount offered for the former prison by Immigration Centers of America.