Shut Down Detention Campaign

The Shut Down Detention Campaign is made up of organizations and individuals fighting to shut down the Moshannon Valley Detention Center. Located in Phillipsburg, Clearfield County, PA; the Moshannon Valley Detention Center facility is the largest in the Northeast and has the capacity to detain 1,800 people. The prison is managed by the for-profit prison company, the GEO Group. We also organize against proposed and emerging immigrant prisons in Pennsylvania, such as the warehouses in Berks County and Schuylkill County.

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Brief History of the Moshannon Valley Detention Center

  • 2006: Opened in April as a private for-profit prison (the first one in PA) by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in contract with the GEO Group.
  • 2016: Department Of Justice announces plans to phase out & not renew private prison contracts citing safety & cost concerns.
  • 2021: In March, the Federal Bureau of Prisons let the contract expire, leading to the temporary closure of facility. However, in September the GEO Group repurposed facility. With a 5-year ICE contract & county agreement approved, the facility reopens in November as an immigration processing center.
  • 2023: Frankline Bate Okpu, 37, was found unresponsive in solitary confinement on December 6, after winning his immigration case.
  • 2025: Chaofeng Ge, 32, was found dead on August 5, hanging in a shower room with his legs and hands bound behind his back. Imam Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, 46, was pronounced dead on December 14. According to ICE, Imam Fouad complained of chest pains prior to his death and received CPR only after he was transported to a hospital. The cause of death remains under investigation.

How To Get Involved

Tell the Clearfield County Commissioners to End the ICE contracts

To learn more you can visit www.moshannonvalleyprocessingcenter.com

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