A major new immigrant detention center could open in eastern North Carolina by the end of 2026.
The New York Times reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to convert the former Rivers Correctional Institution into a detention center with 1,400 beds by the end of the year. The facility is located in Winton, near the Virginia border.
If it opens, the facility would become North Carolina’s first dedicated ICE detention center and one of the largest on the East Coast.
The prison is owned by GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the country, which contracts with ICE to run detention facilities.
ICE did not respond to WFAE's request for comment.
