Clearfield votes to extend Moshannon Valley Detention Center contract; Altoona Mirror, September 22, 2026

Melissa Perez-Carrillo, Altoona Mirror; Clearfield votes to extend Moshannon Valley Detention Center contract

"The Clearfield County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 on Tuesday to approve a six-month contract extension for the operation of Moshannon Valley Processing Center.

Commissioners Tim Winters and John Sobel voted in favor of the extension, and Commissioner Dave Glass voted against...

n September 2021, the county entered into five-year agreements with ICE and GEO Group. It has served as a middleman between the government agency and the private contractor that owns and operates Moshannon. The setup offered a workaround to former President Joe Biden's 2021 executive order banning private federal prisons, which President Donald Trump reversed in 2025...

Since the facility reopened as an immigration detention facility, it has drawn criticism for poor-quality food, inadequate healthcare, and inhumane conditions. The facility's population has only risen as the Trump administration has escalated federal immigration policy and quickened deportations at a historic rate...

Migliozzi told Spotlight PA he thinks the federal government's approach to buying detention facilities circumvents accountability and further obscures their operations, as there is no precedent for states to regulate the federal government.

"If, in fact, the federal government purchases Moshannon," he said, "it will only become more difficult to monitor and expose what is happening inside, and that is very intentional on the part of the federal government."

Clearfield commissioners set to vote on contract extension for Moshannon detention center; Spotlight PA, September 18, 2026

Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Spotlight PA; Clearfield commissioners set to vote on contract extension for Moshannon detention center

"The Clearfield County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to sign a six-month contract extension for the operation of Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the largest immigration detention facility in the Northeast.

The commissioners’ five-year agreements with ICE and GEO Group are set to expire in late September.

The county acts as a middleman between the government agency and the private contractor that owns and operates Moshannon. For its part, the county receives $200,000 per year. The setup offered a workaround to former President Joe Biden’s 2021 executive order banning private federal prisons, which President Donald Trump reversed in 2025.

The contract extension modifies the staffing plan and changes the contracting officer, but “all other terms and conditions remain unchanged,” according to a copy of the document obtained through a public records request.

Clearfield County Commissioner Dave Glass told Spotlight PA he’s voting no on the six-month extension, citing concerns about the behavior of ICE officers and saying he doesn’t support the federal government’s immigration policies. He said he feels more strongly about it than ever. Though he initially supported the arrangement and voted to approve the contract in 2021, he said it is the vote he regrets the most since becoming commissioner.

Since Moshannon reopened in 2021 as an immigration detention facility, it has drawn criticism from advocates for poor-quality food, inadequate healthcare, and inhumane conditions. The facility’s population has only risen as the Trump administration has escalated federal immigration policy and quickened deportations at a historic rate."

ICE detainee punished for speaking to press about poor conditions at Moshannon, lawyer says; Spotlight PA, June 24, 2026

 Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Spotlight PA; ICE detainee punished for speaking to press about poor conditions at Moshannon, lawyer says

"An ICE detainee who was blamed by officials for encouraging others to refuse meals to protest poor conditions at Moshannon Valley Processing Center has been returned to the facility and placed under a higher level of surveillance, his lawyer says.

In addition, Edin Daniel Chinchilla-Roque has been punished for talking to the press, according to Harrisburg-based immigration lawyer Craig Shagin. Chinchilla-Roque is unable to call certain people, including his girlfriend, because the numbers have been blocked, Shagin said.

Chinchilla-Roque spent seven days in solitary confinement following the protest. He was then transported to Port Isabel Service Processing Center in south Texas and later Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, before eventually being transferred back to Moshannon on June 6."

How this Pa. grandfather made it out of ICE detention and back to his family; SpotlightPA, June 10, 2026

Gabriela Martínez, SpotlightPA; How this Pa. grandfather made it out of ICE detention and back to his family

"The first days at Moshannon were the most difficult, Zavala said.

He had to get used to the frigid temperatures inside his block, the bland rice and beans served at mealtime every day, his narrow bed, and feeling like he had no control over his daily routine. Zavala estimates there were about 80 people in his open block.

He coped by building community. He and other detainees created an informal support network, sharing food, trading supplies, and spending time together during recreational periods. Using a water bottle, Zavala and others created refried beans using butter and seasonings purchased at the commissary. They used the ingredients to make sandwiches and other snacks, which they shared and ate together as a group.

Zavala said he made a point of welcoming newly arrived blockmates and offering food because of how difficult his first days in detention had been.

“I believe that the very experiences we go through make us react in a way that helps us become better people and to get along with everyone in a better way," Zavala said.

Many of the men housed alongside Zavala at Moshannon had been there for months while fighting deportation or seeking immigration relief, he said. Nationwide data show that very few people detained by ICE have criminal records. That includes Zavala."

Kilmar Abrego Garcia released after judge rules Trump admin lacked valid removal order; Fox News, December 11, 2025

Louis Casiano , Fox News; Kilmar Abrego Garcia released after judge rules Trump admin lacked valid removal order

"Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the El Salvadoran illegal immigrant that became the face of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, has been released from detention.

Garcia's lawyer confirmed his release with Fox News. 

His release came after a federal judge on Thursday ordered he be freed."

Federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody; Fox News, December 11, 2025

 Breanne Deppisch , Alex Nitzberg , Fox News; Federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody

"A federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Thursday ordered Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody, capping — for now – an extraordinary, 10-month legal fight that has spanned two continents, multiple federal courts, and prompted dozens of hearings in the aftermath of his removal.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia released from the ICE Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pa., ruling that the Trump administration had not obtained the final notice of removal order needed to remove him to a third country."

Clearfield County will make $1M in 5-year contracts with ICE, Moshannon detention center operator; Spotlight PA, October 7, 2025

 

Ann Rejrat for Spotlight PA State College , Spotlight PA; Clearfield County will make $1M in 5-year contracts with ICE, Moshannon detention center operator

[Kip Currier: Following the conclusion of the 115th Annual Convention of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Episcopal Diocese, today I accompanied several Episcopal priests, a deacon, and a lay member for a prayer vigil where peaceful protests against the largest immigrant detention facility in the Northeast have been held for much of this year. The detention site is located near Clearfield County's small town of Philipsburg (a 30-40 minute drive from the main campus of Pennsylvania State University). Euphemistically referred to as the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, its blandly generic name -- and sign, seen below --  intentionally obscures its purpose and the individual people it holds. Numerous allegations of human rights and due process violations have been reported.]

[Excerpt]

"Clearfield County will make $1 million over five years to act as the middleman between ICE and the private contractor that operates the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the largest immigration detention facility in the Northeast.

The county enters the final year of its contracts with ICE and the GEO Group as the Trump administration has intensified efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.

Moshannon — which had already been accused of physical and psychological abuse, inadequate health care, and poor conditions — has also come under increased scrutiny over the past several months after the hanging death of Chaofeng Ge, a Chinese citizen who was detained at the facility near Philipsburg.

Local advocates have protested, called for Moshannon’s closure, and pressured county commissioners not to renew the contracts for the detention center."