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Emigration and immigration

Lea County Prison Closure Sparks Speculation Over Possible ICE Detention Center

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A state prison near Hobbs, Lea County, New Mexico, is set to close in June, leaving over 200 people without jobs, but local officials are surprisingly calm about the situation, speculating that GEO Group, the private prison operator, may be planning to convert the facility into an immigration detention center. The company proposed the idea to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year and attempted to sell the building to the state or Lea County earlier this year.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Lea County Correctional Facility, owned by GEO Group, is set to close in June, resulting in the loss of over 200 jobs in the region.
  • GEO Group proposed the facility for use as an immigration detention center to ICE last year, and the company attempted to sell the building to the state or Lea County earlier this year.
  • Local officials, including Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb and Lea County Commission Chair Gary Eidson, do not know what will become of the facility, but neither the federal government nor GEO Group has approached them with a proposal.
  • Eidson said the county would support using the building as an ICE detention center if the city of Hobbs striking a deal with ICE to hold immigrant detainees, but no one has approached the county about using the building.
  • Cobb said the city would consult with the public before making a decision on any proposal, citing a recent public backlash against ICE detention centers.
  • Ian Philabaum, director of legal organizing for the Innovation Law Lab, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrants and refugees, said the facility's closure could be a "financial move" by GEO Group or a "negotiation tactic" to secure a better contract with ICE.

Statistics:

  • The Lea County Correctional Facility covers over 404,303 square feet (GEO Group's letter of May 1).
  • The prison employs over 200 people, making its closure a significant job loss for the region (ibid.).
  • The city of Hobbs has a relatively low unemployment rate of around 3% (Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb, June).
  • Over 3% of the population was employed in the oil and gas industry (ibid.).

Sources:

  • A letter from GEO Group to Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb, Lea County Commission Chair Gary Eidson, and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions dated May 1.
  • An email from Michael Coleman, spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, dated Thursday.
  • An email from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to an unknown recipient, dated last week.
  • A news article published in The Santa Fe New Mexican ( exact date not specified).

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