CLEARFIELD, Pa. — Concerned citizens packed the Clearfield County Commissioners meeting Tuesday to voice ongoing concerns regarding the Moshannon Valley Detention Center.
The GEO Group operates the facility near Philipsburg, which serves as a detention center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since the transition to an ICE facility, residents and activists from across the state have alleged poor conditions and the mistreatment of detainees. Protesters have held rallies demanding the county commissioners terminate the contract with the company.
The recent events at the facility drew a standing-room-only crowd to Tuesday’s meeting. Before opening the floor, Chairman Tim Winters reminded attendees that public comment is limited to three minutes per person. Several residents were stopped when their time expired.
Those who spoke cited information received directly from detainees and former inmates. Their primary allegations include:
- Inadequate healthcare and overcrowding.
- Poor food quality, including reports of spoiled food, sometimes containing worms or foreign objects.
- Physical and mental abuse.
- Extensive use of solitary confinement.
- A lack of information regarding the status of legal cases.
One attendee used a speakerphone to allow a former inmate to testify about his experiences, though his time expired before he could finish. Others expressed concern over the incarceration of asylum seekers. Speakers claimed these individuals were detained despite attending regular check-ins and following all federal requirements.
One woman drove three hours to attend the meeting. She noted her husband has lived in the U.S. for nine years while seeking asylum but is now held at the center with no information on his case. Another speaker compared the GEO Group’s national track record to state prisons, alleging the private facility’s conditions are worse.
A mother whose son died by suicide spoke about eight confirmed suicide attempts at the facility. She argued that the frequency of these events indicates a systemic failure in mental health oversight.
Speakers also criticized a joint statement the commissioners released last week regarding a reported hunger strike. They argued the board should not rely solely on the word of GEO employees or the results of a facility visit that staff had several days to prepare for.
The commissioners thanked the public for their comments but, following board policy, offered no immediate response.
(Read the Commissioners’ previous statement regarding the Mo-Valley center here. (Commissioners Release Joint Statement on Recent Activity at GEO Moshannon Valley Detention Center – GantNews.com)
