County says negotiations in works for private Mississippi prison to house as many as 2,200 immigration detainees

Published 8:29 am Thursday, September 26, 2019

Adams County officials met Wednesday to modify a contract between CoreCivic and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, officials said.

The Board of Supervisors serves as the conduit between CoreCivic and ICE and therefore had to approve the changes in their contract, Adams County Attorney Scott Slover said.

“ICE and CoreCivic are discussing the logistics of eventually placing up to 2,200 detainees in the jail,” Slover said of the meeting that was held in executive session since it dealt with business expansion. “… There’s a lot of different requirements on both sides and this is just them finalizing their agreement.”

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Earlier this month, officials announced that CoreCivic would begin a 5-year-contract with ICE to house inmates at the Adams County Correctional Facility — a 2,232-bed prison — located on U.S. 84 east of Natchez.

The new contract began at the end of a contract CoreCivic had with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The new agreement would potentially bring $400,000 more in revenue create 50 additional jobs in the county while retaining 390 jobs that the county risked losing if the prison closed without a contract to house inmates, officials said.

Before entering closed session Wednesday, Adams County Administrator Joe Murray said the board would vote on “logistical” changes in the contract needed to house more inmates at the facility.

No other actions were taken during Wednesday’s meeting.