Advocates call for halt to detention facility plans

MIAMI (AP):

Immigrant advocates are demanding the United States government halt plans for a new 1,500-bed detention facility near the Everglades until an environmental review is completed.

The facility is slated for Broward County's town of Southwest Ranches. Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has long sought to build a prison there.

A lawyer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition said on Wednesday under federal law the US must get a public review of the site, even if a private company is building the prison since immigration officials are requesting it. He argues the review must be done before the contract is signed.

A spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the agency is following the environmental process, and CCA is responsible for any necessary reviews.

CCA says it already has all the permits it needs.