Bishop Mulvey urges Duval County to hold public hearing on family detention facility

On Monday, July 11, the Duval County Commissioners voted to begin contract negotiations with Serco, an Australian for-profit contractor, in order to submit to Immigration and Customs Enforcement a proposal for a family detention facility in San Diego. Bishop Michael Mulvey said Monday’s hearing did not follow the proper hearing disclosure procedures.
 
According to press accounts, Duval County Judge Ricardo Carrillo said the county did not call for a public hearing on the matter because time did not permit, as the proposal is due on Friday, July 15.
 
"I feel that if there is time to put forth a proposal and hold a vote there is certainly time to hold a hearing," Bishop Mulvey said. "I think the Duval County Commissioners need to hear what the community has to say about the possibility of converting La Hacienda Nursing Home into a secure facility that would detain women and children. I believe that the Duval County Commissioners would hear similar things to what the Jim Wells and Dimmit County commissioners heard: that our communities do not want to build facilities that incarcerate vulnerable women, children and babies."
 
The bishop said that family detention is against the tenets of Catholic Social teaching. He added that the Duval County Commissioners actions on Monday bypassed the people of San Diego, which is contrary to another Catholic Social Teaching, that of subsidiarity, which holds that human affairs are best handled at the most local level possible thus providing solutions closest to those affected.
 
The facility will actually be located in Jim Wells County and the people in Jim Wells County rejected the facility through strong public opposition and a vote of the Jim Wells County Commissioners.
 
"Now, Duval County is acting against the will of the people of Jim Wells in their own county. As a faith leader, I believe strongly that local communities and local people often hold the keys to local solutions and that we must let community voices lead us in discussions on what we want our communities to look like and what values we want them to reflect," Bishop Mulvey said.
 
Only one individual reportedly expressed support for the facility at the Duval County Commissioners Court meeting on Monday.
 
"For this reason, I strongly urge the Duval County Commissioners to allow for a public hearing before moving forward with the proposal from Serco and ICE to bring family detention to San Diego," Bishop Mulvey said. "Family detention is a divisive topic in our country, in our state and in our community. The San Diego community should be allowed to voice their opinions in a fair and transparent manner."