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Halliburton contracted to build immigration jails Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_3451385 http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_3451385 Deal struck to build immigration jails KBR, feds sign deal for jails Mason Stockstill, Staff Writer A Houston-based construction firm with ties to the White House has been awarded an open-ended contract to build immigration-detention centers that could total $385 million - a move that some critics called questionable. The contract calls for KBR, a subsidiary of the oil engineering and construction giant Halliburton, to build temporary detention facilities in the event of an "immigration emergency," according to U.S. officials. "If, for example, there were some sort of upheaval in another country that would cause mass migration, that's the type of situation that this contract would address," said Jamie Zuieback of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. "Essentially, this is a contingency contract." Under the contract awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, KBR could also be assigned to operate one or more temporary detention facility, and develop a plan for responding to a natural disaster in which ICE personnel participate in relief efforts. The contract, which does not specify locations for the detention facilities, is good for one year, with the option for four one-year extensions. The open-ended nature of the contract - described as "indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity" - raises concerns about overcharging and other potential abuse, said Charlie Cray, director of the Washington-based Center for Corporate Policy and a frequent Halliburton critic. The Government Accounting Office has criticized both Halliburton and KBR for cost overruns and inappropriately obtaining government projects under a similar contingency-based program connected to reconstruction work in Iraq, Cray said. The companies' work in Iraq has ranged from providing meals for soldiers to planning for troops to occupy Iraqi oil fields. Halliburton's billions of dollars in revenue from federal contracts - many of them awarded without competitive bidding - have made it a frequent target of critics who accuse the Bush administration of cronyism. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former Halliburton chief executive officer. KBR also has faced allegations that, through subcontractors, it hired numerous illegal immigrants to perform rebuilding work in the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina and paid them subminimum wages. The company's hiring practices in Iraq have come under scrutiny for the alleged exploitation of foreign workers. But KBR officials said the contract for detention facilities is well-deserved because of the firm's experience in building infrastructure and support networks for U.S. military and law enforcement. KBR's revenues totaled $3 billion in the fourth of 2005, according to company figures released Friday. Halliburton plans to sell part of the subsidiary through an initial public offering in coming months. "We are especially gratified to be awarded this contract because it builds on our extremely strong track record in the arena of emergency-operations support," said Bruce Stanski, KBR's vice president of government and infrastructure, in a statement. There's no guarantee that any work will be performed under the contract; if no immigration emergency or natural disaster occurs, there won't be anything for KBR to do, said company spokeswoman Cathy Mann. However, outside events have prompted large waves of immigration in the past. Political upheaval and changes in immigration policy in nations such as Haiti, Cuba and Rwanda have caused an influx of immigrants and refugees from those countries at different times. Additionally, ICE is planning to increase the capacity of its detention facilities around the country, Zuieback said, particularly after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff pledged to end the agency's unofficial "catch-and-release" policy for some illegal immigrants. Because ICE's detention facilities are frequently full, there is nowhere to hold illegal immigrants who must have a hearing before they can be deported. This includes most immigrants from nations other than Mexico. In the past, those illegal immigrants have been issued an order to appear for their court date, and then simply released into the United States. The vast majority never show up for the hearings. Although increasing the number of beds available in detention facilities would address the issue, Zuieback said ICE also is working on agreements with several other countries that would allow the expedited deportation of illegal aliens from those nations. These agreements would remove the requirement for a hearing in front of an immigration judge. "Part of the reason why expedited removal is so important is you can create more beds by moving those people out of there faster," she said.

confederate-law deathpenalty force-confession planting-guns rockefeller-law tulia-texas 1 in 99 americans in jail { January 2008 } 25percent of worlds prisoners 3 days in nyc jails { November 23 2002 } Black man imprisoned 25 years freed by dna { April 23 2007 } Black man innocent of murder freed after 27 years { April 29 2008 } Black prison rate reach peak { April 7 2003 } British police new supergun for rioters { October 9 2005 } California highest percapita jail population outside china { November 18 2003 } Correctional population hits record 7m { July 26 2004 } Correctional services corporation builds texas detention center Corrections 7m ap Corrections 7m reuters Crime rose 2001 Dna clears florida man of 1981 rape and robbery { January 14 2006 } Dna exoneration { August 26 2002 } Dna tests free man in prison 25 years Drug laws dont reduce drug crime Fbi method sent innocent hundreds to prison { November 18 2007 } Federal prisons packed Halliburton contracted to build immigration jails Highest adult imprisonment world { August 18 2003 } Inmates not violent Innocent british prisoner charged with living expenses La riots one year later { April 29 2002 } Lawmakers seek to end business boom behind bars { February 23 2005 } Man cleared by dna after 17 years Microsoft cheap labor in prisons { March 19 2001 } Millions behind bars One in 37 done time One of every 75 men in prison { May 27 2004 } Overcrowded prisoners to take sleep shifts Poor lawyers in death sentence { June 26 2003 } Prison labor grows { March 19 2000 } Prisoner claims legal injection cruel and unusual { January 23 2006 } Prisoners grew by 900 inmates a week during 2004 { June 30 2003 } Prisons add 1000 inmates each week { May 21 2006 } Prisons colleges Racial segregation continues in california prisons Record 7 million adults in prison system { October 2006 } Record high Sentencing in doubt after supreme court decision { June 25 2004 } Supreme court gives sentencing power to juries { June 26 2004 } Supreme court transforms sentence guidelines { January 13 2005 } Uk prison population hits new record Worlds highest incarceration rate { August 18 2003 } Young inmates caged drugged state study finds { January 28 2004 } Files Listed: 46

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