Frequently Asked Questions about Moshannon

Moshannon is The Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a facility owned and operated for-profit by The GEO Group. From 2006 to 2021, Moshannon was a federal detention center, after a Biden-era executive order banning the Department of Justice from contracting with private, for-profit prison operators, Moshannon closed as a federal detention facility and reopened a few months later as an ICE detention center.

Moshannon’s capacity is believed to be just over 1,800 beds. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, as of June 23, 2025, an average of 1,340 people are being held at the facility each day.

A few things to know about Immigrant Detention:

• As of June 2025, over 71% of people in ICE detention centers have no criminal convictions. On top of that, many of the criminal convictions are common convictions that many people have experienced—like traffic violations. Imagine being sent to a detention center and called a criminal because you ran a redlight!

• Due process is a right guaranteed by our constitution to everyone who sets foot on US soil. The important thing to remember about rights is that if they are not afforded to everyone, equally without exception, they are not rights but privileges. Privileges can be taken away from you at any time by an authority. When we fight for the rights of people who aren’t like us, we are fighting for our own rights too!

• It is true that a small percentage of people detained by ICE do have what we would consider serious criminal convictions. Many of these people have already served out their sentence for those crimes. On top of this, even people with criminal convictions have rights. When we fight for the rights of people who have been convicted of crimes we are also fighting for own rights!

Immigrant detention is an unnecessary approach that serves to enrich private prison operators and their shareholders. Study after study has shown that the vast majority of immigrants show up for their immigration hearings with no issues and do not require detention or surveillance (e.g., ankle monitors) to do so.

If a person is the subject of a criminal investigation, we have existing laws and processes to handle those. ICE Detention exists outside of our criminal justice system.

The alternative to ICE detention is for an immigrant to be at home, with their family, friends and pets, working at their job, practicing their religion, and contributing positively and meaningfully to our communities.

The vast majority of undocumented immigrants entered the country through a legal port of entry—like Customs and Border Patrol booths you drive through when you visit Niagara Falls. They became undocumented when they overstayed their visas. Overstaying a visa is not a crime, it is a civil violation like running a redlight, or failing to renew your vehicle registration on-time. How many of us have done these things—even accidentally? Now imagine being unexpectedly detained in a prison for doing so.

You may hear people described as asylum seekers. People who request asylum are exercising a legal right under U.S. and international law, not committing a crime. Again, this is not an illegal act and certainly does not warrant detention.

Finally, the last small category of people are those who have come across the border, between official border crossings. In some cases, have committed a misdemeanor like shoplifting or trespassing.

By in large, the people in ICE detention are hardworking individuals who are here in the US for the same reason all of us are here—to make a better life for themselves and their families—and have committed no crime by entering the country or by staying in the country without documentation.

It’s estimated that 200–400 people work at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. Supporters of these facilities often ask, “What about the jobs?”—as if the choice is between these jobs or no jobs at all. In reality, the choice is between these jobs and better jobs.

Better jobs could meet real community needs. In the seven counties surrounding Clearfield, not a single hospital has a maternity ward. Expectant parents are forced to drive more than an hour just to reach a hospital where they can give birth. Imagine those same public dollars creating good-paying jobs in a new maternity center, prenatal clinic, or rural health hub—meeting urgent needs while strengthening the local economy.

Local elected officials are chosen to represent their communities and fight for the resources, services, and industries that help them thrive. That means pushing for investments that improve people’s lives not facilities that profit from human suffering. The Moshannon Valley facility existed before 2021, and its reopening served The GEO Group’s interests. The county commissioners did not actively recruit this contract; it was offered and accepted without a competitive process or exploration of alternative opportunities. That’s not leadership. That’s taking the easy way out.

Clearfield County’s unemployment rate is a moderate 4.5%, not signaling a jobs emergency. While average hourly earnings hover around $24, there are opportunities available across a number of industries. In this context, the jobs provided by Moshannon aren’t filling a local labor gap; they replace potential investments in industries that meet real resident needs.