Stand Against the ICE Warehouse System

No Concentration Camps in the United States (NoCCUS) is a coalition of grassroots organizers and national groups fighting ICE warehouse sites. NoCCUS is dedicated to monitoring industrial warehouses across the country -- tracking those already sold, those on the market, and those which have been successfully fought for and kept out of the hands of detention contractors. As a national network they share resources and strategy across their coalition.

Local Groups Impact: Success in Minnesota

Our collective power is proven. Thanks to our tireless efforts, the proposed detention centers in Woodbury and Shakopee did not move forward. We showed up at the Washington County Board and Woodbury City Council in January. We also made phone calls, wrote letters, and applied pressure to make one thing clear: human beings are not packages to be caged in industrial zones.

Opposition Continues

While we have won local battles, DHS still has their sights set on locations across the country. ICE is spending $38 billion to buy and convert warehouses into detention centers. Locations in Arizona and Maryland are most recently in the news. In both locations there is strong opposition from local citizens. As Rachel Maddow stated on April 27 in her program on MSNOW, not one warehouse has opened since they started trying to buy them. To get involved, visit noccus.org.

The Reality Inside ICE Warehouse

Representatives from several states have inspected facilities in Texas, Florida, Montana, and Colorado, reporting harrowing conditions:

• Extreme Overcrowding: Facilities retrofitted for 1,500 people are frequently packed with over 3,000 detainees.

• Mixed Populations: Men, women, and children are often held in the same warehouses, leading to profound safety concerns.

• Human Tragedy: We all remember the heartbreaking story of Little Liam — a direct result of a system that prioritizes containment over care.

Minnesota has four jails where immigrants are being held. They are located in Brainard, Albert Lea, Wilmar, and Elk River.  According to the website Freedom for Immigrants, in 2023 the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River held immigrants on average 259 days, the longest by far in the country.  

Take Action Today

We cannot let the momentum slide. Please continue to contact your U.S. Representatives to voice your opposition to these inhumane practices. We must demand accountability for the systemic violations of:

1. Sanitation and Health Standards: Preventing the spread of disease and ensuring basic hygiene.

2. Legal Rights: Ensuring detainees have access to counsel and due process.

3. Civil Rights: Protecting the fundamental dignity and safety of every individual.

Silence is consent. Keep calling, keep writing, and

keep showing up until every cage is empty.

-- Bonnie Linder, SCVI Treasurer and Member of NoCCUS