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Immigration Detainees Upset By Move From Greenfield Facility

A van from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
State of Massachusetts
A van from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

A lawyer who works with people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement said some of them are not happy after they were transferred from a facility in Greenfield, Massachusetts, to one in the eastern part of the state.

ICE moved the nine detainees to a correctional facility in Plymouth County last week. They're now under the care of the sheriff there.

Mario Paredes is an attorney with Prisoners' Legal Services, and assists two of the detainees. He said one of their concerns is that while Franklin County provided video calls with family, Plymouth County does not.

"And so right now, with the pandemic still going on, there is no in-person visitation," Paredes said. "So it kind of cuts folks off from their family members other than having to pay for, you know, quick phone calls."

In a statement, Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan said the county had a contract with ICE for about 10 years, and averaged between 60 and 70 detainees for much of that time.

With the number of detainees dropping below 10, Donelan said it did not make sense to staff an entire housing unit, and he decided to end the agreement. 

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
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