News
Detention facility for illegals pondered
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
While members of the Benson City Council have been given private sessions to hear the sales pitch that might bring a detention center to town, residents Monday night had to hear the news second hand.
Mayor Mark Fenn led the discussion, reciting a sales pitch he was given by Corplan Corrections, a Texas company that wants to build a 104,000-square-foot facility to house mostly women and children who are in the country illegally.
Representatives of the project, Richard Reyes of Innovative Government Strategies, and James Parkey and Toby Michael of Corplan Corrections, did not attend the first public meeting regarding the proposal.
Following the company pitch, Fenn said it would not be a detention center like the one proposed about six years ago when residents vehemently opposed a 500-bed facility off State Route 80.
Instead, the facility, that could be built near the Benson Municipal Airport off Ocotillo Road, is being called a "Family Residential Center of the Southwest," a 25-acre project that would only house families and children.
Fenn said it would be the first facility of its kind. Fenn said the center would be federally funded, but that is not really the case. The center would be paid for with revenue bonds the city would issue. The revenue from the federal per diem for residents would pay off the bonds, as long as the center wins a contract from the federal government. That is not guaranteed. The city would be responsible for retiring the revenue bonds, whether or not they win the bid.
This would not be the first center of its kind. Parkey was involved in a similar project in Hardin, Montana. That city signed off on $27 million in bonds to fund the construction of a 200-bed center that was supposed to house women and children awaiting asylum, deportation or court.
The prison was built in 2007, but remains empty to this day, and Hardin is now responsible for the bonds that are now in default.
According to published reports, Parkey promised Hardin that Corplan Corrections would take care of everything; there would be no liability and the town would benefit economically because it would bring 150 high-paying jobs.
In Hardin, $27 million in bonds were secured. Benson will have to create a corporation that would secure $21 million in revenue bonds to pay for the prison construction.
Corplan Corrections has promised the bonds will be paid for by per diem fees that federal agencies will pay the private corporation over the next 21 years, at which time Benson would assume full ownership of the facility.
Corplan Corrections has also looked at other cities searching for a council willing to build the family centers. In Las Cruces, N. M., city officials are still considering the exact same facility after questions were raised in February.
However, approval may be harder to get now that a state senator has joined the debate.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who represents Las Cruces, questioned whether or not the promise of federal funding is legitimate. The senator told reporters he was unaware of any federal initiatives to fund such a project, and if there were, the Department of Homeland Security would first put such a project out to bid, instead of taking a "build it and the money will come approach."
Corplan Corrections pitched the same project in Las Cruces it is now trying to sell in Benson, stressing that it would not be a detention center.
In a February public meeting in Las Cruces, Toby Michael of Corplan said, "This is not a detention center. It is an extended-stay center. We're not going to be housing criminals, but for the fact that they are undocumented immigrants ... there will be no bars, no cells, no razor wire on the fences. Residents will be housed in a safe and secure environment."
While Corplan Corrections contends they are not proposing a detention center, residents of the facility will be held against their will.
Fenn and other council members said they would proceed cautiously, noting they do have some concerns about the company's reputation and how the financing would work.
But, Fenn told some weary residents in the audience that Benson could benefit from such a facility.
"I have a feeling if someone was presenting a similar facility as a university with dorms, we would say great and would all embrace it," he said. "I realize that the nature of the center is very controversial. Do we as a city put our foot down and say as Americans we don't support this? At some time there could be up to 150 well-paying jobs. You have to balance all that. How much of our political opinion do we interject into city business? I will go on record saying I don't completely endorse this facility. The company may have a checkered history and background and a lot of questions to answer on finances."
Fenn said if the facility isn't built in Benson, it will be built somewhere else where another city could reap the economic benefits.
The council also defended their actions during the 25-minute discussions.
In a short speech to defend the elected board, Councilman David Lambert said they have not gone behind the public's back in considering the measure, but have attended several personal meetings with Corplan Corrections.
Lambert said no laws were broken in the meetings because only three council members were present at a time, therefore a quorum was never formed.
Lambert did not say how many meetings council members have had with the developers.
Councilwoman Lori McGoffin excused herself from the discussions entirely, citing a possible conflict of interest. The second-term councilwoman said Corplan Corrections has contacted her employer, the Medicine Shoppe, about providing pharmaceutical supplies to the facility once it opens.
After discussions, the council directed city staff to continue researching the proposal.
According to the Corplan Corrections Web site, the for-profit Texas company specializes in building detention centers for illegal immigrants, correctional facilities and prisons.
While members of the Benson City Council have been given private sessions to hear the sales pitch that might bring a detention center to town, residents Monday night had to hear the news second hand.
Mayor Mark Fenn led the discussion, reciting a sales pitch he was given by Corplan Corrections, a Texas company that wants to build a 104,000-square-foot facility to house mostly women and children who are in the country illegally.
Representatives of the project, Richard Reyes of Innovative Government Strategies, and James Parkey and Toby Michael of Corplan Corrections, did not attend the first public meeting regarding the proposal.
Following the company pitch, Fenn said it would not be a detention center like the one proposed about six years ago when residents vehemently opposed a 500-bed facility off State Route 80.
Instead, the facility, that could be built near the Benson Municipal Airport off Ocotillo Road, is being called a "Family Residential Center of the Southwest," a 25-acre project that would only house families and children.
Fenn said it would be the first facility of its kind. Fenn said the center would be federally funded, but that is not really the case. The center would be paid for with revenue bonds the city would issue. The revenue from the federal per diem for residents would pay off the bonds, as long as the center wins a contract from the federal government. That is not guaranteed. The city would be responsible for retiring the revenue bonds, whether or not they win the bid.
This would not be the first center of its kind. Parkey was involved in a similar project in Hardin, Montana. That city signed off on $27 million in bonds to fund the construction of a 200-bed center that was supposed to house women and children awaiting asylum, deportation or court.
The prison was built in 2007, but remains empty to this day, and Hardin is now responsible for the bonds that are now in default.
According to published reports, Parkey promised Hardin that Corplan Corrections would take care of everything; there would be no liability and the town would benefit economically because it would bring 150 high-paying jobs.
In Hardin, $27 million in bonds were secured. Benson will have to create a corporation that would secure $21 million in revenue bonds to pay for the prison construction.
Corplan Corrections has promised the bonds will be paid for by per diem fees that federal agencies will pay the private corporation over the next 21 years, at which time Benson would assume full ownership of the facility.
Corplan Corrections has also looked at other cities searching for a council willing to build the family centers. In Las Cruces, N. M., city officials are still considering the exact same facility after questions were raised in February.
However, approval may be harder to get now that a state senator has joined the debate.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who represents Las Cruces, questioned whether or not the promise of federal funding is legitimate. The senator told reporters he was unaware of any federal initiatives to fund such a project, and if there were, the Department of Homeland Security would first put such a project out to bid, instead of taking a "build it and the money will come approach."
Corplan Corrections pitched the same project in Las Cruces it is now trying to sell in Benson, stressing that it would not be a detention center.
In a February public meeting in Las Cruces, Toby Michael of Corplan said, "This is not a detention center. It is an extended-stay center. We're not going to be housing criminals, but for the fact that they are undocumented immigrants ... there will be no bars, no cells, no razor wire on the fences. Residents will be housed in a safe and secure environment."
While Corplan Corrections contends they are not proposing a detention center, residents of the facility will be held against their will.
Fenn and other council members said they would proceed cautiously, noting they do have some concerns about the company's reputation and how the financing would work.
But, Fenn told some weary residents in the audience that Benson could benefit from such a facility.
"I have a feeling if someone was presenting a similar facility as a university with dorms, we would say great and would all embrace it," he said. "I realize that the nature of the center is very controversial. Do we as a city put our foot down and say as Americans we don't support this? At some time there could be up to 150 well-paying jobs. You have to balance all that. How much of our political opinion do we interject into city business? I will go on record saying I don't completely endorse this facility. The company may have a checkered history and background and a lot of questions to answer on finances."
Fenn said if the facility isn't built in Benson, it will be built somewhere else where another city could reap the economic benefits.
The council also defended their actions during the 25-minute discussions.
In a short speech to defend the elected board, Councilman David Lambert said they have not gone behind the public's back in considering the measure, but have attended several personal meetings with Corplan Corrections.
Lambert said no laws were broken in the meetings because only three council members were present at a time, therefore a quorum was never formed.
Lambert did not say how many meetings council members have had with the developers.
Councilwoman Lori McGoffin excused herself from the discussions entirely, citing a possible conflict of interest. The second-term councilwoman said Corplan Corrections has contacted her employer, the Medicine Shoppe, about providing pharmaceutical supplies to the facility once it opens.
After discussions, the council directed city staff to continue researching the proposal.
According to the Corplan Corrections Web site, the for-profit Texas company specializes in building detention centers for illegal immigrants, correctional facilities and prisons.
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