Keep ICE Detention Facilities Out of
North Carolina
Photo of Rivers Correctional by Matt Ramey for The Assembly
On January 29, 2026, the ACLU released files from a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) that included an ICE Request for Information investigating adding seven new immigrant detention centers. Two of the proposed locations are in North Carolina - Greensboro and Winton.
The Rivers Correctional Facility in Winton was closed in 2021 after reduced populations from COVID and an executive order from President Biden that stated “there is broad consensus that our current system of mass incarceration imposes significant costs and hardships on our society and communities and does not make us safer… to decrease incarceration levels, we must reduce profit-based incentives to incarcerate by phasing out the Federal Government’s reliance on privately operated criminal detention facilities.” The Rivers facility was known for high rates of assault, contraband, inadequate medical care and drug abuse.
Rivers was Hertford County’s (population ~20k) sixth largest employer at the time of its closing. While losing a financial anchor to the community causes hardships, the horrors that are experienced in immigration detention centers and prisons as a whole outweigh the benefits.
The other North Carolina proposal in the FOIA was for the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro. This facility would utilize 8 of its former dorm buildings, supposedly to detain children. In 2022, the Office of Refugee Resettlement signed a $50.8M contract with the Academy to detain unaccompanied minors; however no children were ever housed on site and the contract was terminated early. The Academy released a statement on February 5th that they had not been contacted by any federal agency about using the property. The City of Greensboro states that the site does not have the proper zoning for detention/institutional, but NC General Statute G.S. 160D-913 does not require rezoning so long as a new building is involved.
As we have seen across the country, detained immigrants have experienced abuse, medical neglect, violence, family separation and a lack of access to counsel. We cannot allow these facilities to open in North Carolina. Please call or send the letters below to stop North Carolina immigrant detention centers from happening!
North Carolina Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
(919) 814-2000
Letter/Email:
Dear Governor Stein,
I am writing to express my deep opposition to the proposed immigration detention centers in Winton and Greensboro, NC. Since the beginning of 2025, we have seen what the increased presence of Federal Agents and ICE facilities does to the communities that they occupy. As a North Carolina resident, I can say with full confidence that we are vehemently opposed to whatever improvements the administration feels that a detention center can provide.
Over the last year, the ACLU has reported the sexual and physical abuses committed by staff that are rampant in detention centers including: broken teeth, punctured eardrums, crushed testicles, and the denial of life-saving medications to cause painful death, for example. Detention centers are sites of trauma, family separation, and inadequate care, as made evident by the innumerable reports, complaints, and legal actions that have been taken against such facilities. That is not law enforcement. That is state-sanctioned terror.
North Carolinians need disaster relief, healthcare assistance, and strong public education—not abuses that stain our state. You have spoken against ICE in the past for arresting people with no criminal history and also citizens. We urge you to demand accountability, immediately stop the funding and cooperation with ICE, redirect resources to real public needs, and stop the expansion of ICE facilities in North Carolina.
We ask you to speak out again. Protect your constituents. Protect our communities. Stop NC ICE detention centers!
Regards,
[name]
Postcard/Phone call:
On January 29, the ACLU of NC reported that DHS is considering plans to repurpose the Rivers Correctional Facility and the American Hebrew Academy into ICE detention centers. Recently expanded ICE detention centers have been associated with poor sanitation and food, in-custody deaths, and refusal to allow visits by congressional representatives, clergy, and family. I ask you to stand up and publicly state that detention centers are not a good or appropriate use of either facility and ask you to do all in your power to officially oppose it.
Email NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson
North Carolina Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
(919) 814-2000
Email/Letter:
Dear Attorney General Jackson,
I am writing to express my deep opposition to the proposed immigration detention center in Winton and Greensboro, NC. Since the beginning of 2025, we have seen what the increased presence of Federal Agents and ICE facilities does to the communities that they occupy. As a North Carolina resident, I can say with full confidence that we are vehemently opposed to whatever improvements the administration feels that a detention center can provide.
Over the last year, the ACLU has reported the sexual and physical abuses committed by staff that are rampant in detention centers including: broken teeth, punctured eardrums, crushed testicles, and the denial of life-saving medications to cause painful death, for example. Detention centers are sites of trauma, family separation, and inadequate care, as made evident by the innumerable reports, complaints, and legal actions that have been taken against such facilities. That is not law enforcement. That is state-sanctioned terror.
North Carolinians need disaster relief, healthcare assistance, and strong public education—not abuses that stain our state. You have the power to rescind or block these contracts based on conditions and lack of due process at other facilities and previous history. We urge you to demand accountability, immediately stop the cooperation and contracts with ICE, and stop the expansion of ICE facilities in North Carolina.
We ask you to look at all legal options to block these detention centers from opening. Protect your constituents. Protect our communities. Stop NC ICE detention centers!
Regards,
[name]
Postcard/ Phone call:
On January 29, the ACLU of NC reported that DHS is considering plans to repurpose the Rivers Correctional Facility and the American Hebrew Academy into ICE detention centers. Recently expanded ICE detention centers have been associated with poor sanitation and food, in-custody deaths, and refusal to allow visits by congressional representatives, clergy, and family. I ask you to stand up and examine all legal avenues that are available to block these detention centers. I believe that these centers are not a good or appropriate use of either facility and ask you to do all in your power to officially oppose it.