Cheyenne, WY - For the first time, Wyoming is facing the possibility of a private prison being built in partnership by the federal government and a private prison company. The Uinta County Immigration Prison, proposed by Management & Training Corporation (MTC), will host up to 600 people detained by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). Over the years, ICE has increasingly relied upon the private prison industry to detain immigrants and their families. In response to MTC’s proposal, on Saturday, January 13th, #WyoSayNo is launching a campaign to stop the Uinta County Immigration Prison.
MTC is the third-largest private prison company in the United States and already operates immigration prisons in California, New Mexico, and Texas. The company is known for their abuse and neglect of detainees and has previously lost contracts with ICE due to the substandard and inhumane living conditions of their prisons.
The campaign’s main launch event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 13th in the Cottonwood Room of the Laramie County Public Library, 2220 Pioneer Avenue, Cheyenne, WY. The event will be a time for Wyomingites to learn more about the proposed Uinta County Immigration Prison, how immigration prisons affect Wyoming immigrants, and the actions they can take to “SAY NO” to an immigration prison in Wyoming.
#WyoSayNo will live stream the main launch event through their Facebook Page in order for Wyomingites across the state to participate and engage in the campaign.
Watch parties have been scheduled in the following locations:
- Laramie - Albany County Public Library, 310 South 8th Street
- Lander - Debra’s House, 484 North 3rd Street
- Casper - Wyoming Food for Thought, 900 Saint John Street
- Gillette - Salvation Army Gillette Service Unit, 620 North Highway 14-16
- Jackson - Teton NewMedia Offices, 610m West Broadway Street, Suite 110
These watch parties are open to all community members wanting to learn more about the #WyoSayNo campaign and willing to take action to “SAY NO” to the Uinta County
Immigration Prison. If people do not have a watch party near them, they can sign-up to host a watch party of their own and invite their neighbors to join #WyoSayNo in keeping Wyoming families together, protecting Wyoming’s rural communities, and saying Wyoming won’t detain for private gain.
#WyoSayNo is a grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations across Wyoming dedicated to stopping the proposed Uinta County Immigration Prison.
