Since the announcement that FPC Morgantown would be essentially closing in December, I’ve observed the stages of grief among the staff here: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance (Dr. Kubler-Ross), except acceptance is late to the party. FPC Morgantown provides a livelihood for over 150 staff, many of whom are local to the Morgantown area. As I have mentioned last week about the gossip among inmates, it also applies to the staff: “Trump will save us” “The new director of BOP will reverse the order to close” etc. For over two months, the first three stages of grief dominated. Then, a shred of good news unveiled hope.
On Tuesday, news had traveled that the “central and regional” offices would be visiting for two days! Rumors swirled that the central office visited another prison camp in Duluth and decided to keep that camp open (again, an unconfirmed rumor). So, this upcoming visit is an opportunity to showcase the campus and at least implant some thought to reverse a decision. The campus was immediately cleaned up and everything became tidy. On Wednesday, I helped to fix a broken heater for the auditorium, which had been broken the entire time that I’ve been at Morgantown. Excitement and giddiness permeated the air, especially among the staff, until the visitors arrived on Thursday.
With the facilities appearing to be in prime order, the campus sparkled for the touring guests. Politeness and smiles were worn by staff and inmates alike. Remember, many inmates don’t want to transfer either, so they played their part. The smiles swiftly frowned when one of the shirts from the visiting guests had an emblem embossed: ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). With onslaught of media coverage about the massive ICE raids in many cities, the concern of “housing” detainees has been a sideline concern: “ship them back from where they came” “put them in Guantanamo” “use the closed prisons for temporary housing.” The opinions flew. For me, it’s odd to refer to people as pieces of cargo or as some logistical operation for shipping packages. These are human beings, whether they broke laws or not, they are a fellow human. Collectively, I can understand the frustrations that many Americans have, even the animosities that are commonly expressed. Yet, each one of these individuals is a person with loved ones who is just trying to make his or her life better. I often think about how tragically violent and poor it must be for these people to leave their homes, families, friends, belongings, to risk and sacrifice their lives to journey across many countries to come here. Ahh, therein lies the issue: they end up on US soil when they could’ve stopped at any of the other countries for help. I do not want to harp or add to the politically fueled inferno of immigration, but I do agree that there must be some systemic control for prevention and assistance.
Albeit the enormity of another problem was created by the ICE raids: what to do with the detainees? Apparently, some rumors have an ounce of truth to them: ICE detainees may certainly end up in a former federal prison for holding while either deportation or cases for asylum are processed, which could take a substantial amount of time. I digress.
Once everyone on campus realized that FPC Morgantown was being considered as a viable option for hosting ICE detainees, the second day of the visit was barely acknowledged: Depression – the fifth stage of grief. Presently, no further information has been communicated about what the future holds for this prison (or even for me), but it has been fascinating to be on the sidelines while these events transpire. I really appreciate you taking the time check-in and continue to be supportive of my prison journey. I wish you and your loved ones a warm and happy week. Please continue to be mindful of any little miracle in your life 🙂