The company that operates the Mesa Verde Detention Center on Golden State Avenue has agreed to a contract with the federal government to keep the facility open for at least another year.
Mesa Verde Detention Center was at risk of closing on March 19 without a local contract to operate it. The city of McFarland ended its agreement with GEO Group, Inc. which runs the facility.
The contract between the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and GEO Group will keep the facility open through March 18, 2020.
Local groups were concerned about the possibility of a closure of Mesa Verde because it could have resulted in the sudden transfer of detainees outside of the jurisdiction, including out of state.
Rapid Response Network of Kern and Building Healthy Communities South Kern began a fundraising campaign for detainees to post bond in case the facility closed.
You can read the agreement between the DHS, ICE and GEO Group here.
