Thread: License of center housing immigrants revoked

LEESPORT, Pa.The state decided to revoke the operating license of a residential facility used by the federal government to house asylum-seeking immigrant families.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said it won’t renew the Berks County Residential Center’s license because the facility continues holding immigrant children and adults. The department said the center’s operation as a federal immigration facility is inconsistent with its licensing as a child residential center.

State officials notified the county-owned facility of their decision in a letter dated Jan. 27. The center’s license expires Feb. 21.

The center in Leesport, about 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia, has been under contract with immigration authorities since 2001. It’s one of three such facilities nationwide. The other two are in Texas.

Berks County officials declined comment, and it wasn’t clear whether they would appeal.

Khaalid Walls, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency is reviewing the state’s letter “to determine the appropriate next steps.”

Immigrant-rights groups that have been demanding an end to family detention praised the decision.

“The state of Pennsylvania sent a strong message today that immigration detention facilities are no place for children, especially those that have suffered trauma,” Wendy Cervantes, director of the First Focus Center for Children of Immigrants, said in a statement.

The Berks facility had been seeking to double its capacity to 192 residents.

- See more at: Youngstown News, License of center housing immigrants revoked

Only family detention center outside Texas may shut after license revoked

Immigrant activists in Pennsylvania welcomed the move, where at least five families now held at Berks County facility were detained during ICE raids

The only family detention center outside of Texas may be forced to shut down after its license to operate was revoked – a move welcomed by immigrant rights activists.

Berks County Residential Center in Pennsylvania has had its license revoked, and its pending license will not be renewed.

In a letter sent to Berks County this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said it “is not renewing” the center’s license to operate “as a child residential facility”. The license for the center expires on 21 February. The letter also says the state has revoked a “certificate of compliance” that was issued 9 November and would have allowed the facility to operate through 21 February 2017. The state also denied approval for its expansion from 96 beds to 192 beds.

Only family detention center outside Texas may shut after license revoked