We need all eyes on Winton, North Carolina (Hertford County)! Documents obtained by the ACLU of North Carolina in January 2026 show that GEO Group has proposed reopening Rivers Correctional Facility in Winton as an ICE detention center and stated it could be operational within just 90 days of a federal contract.

Now, there are troubling signs that this plan may be moving forward: a new GEO Group job posting for a facility maintenance manager at Rivers, along with a noticeable increase in cars and activity at the facility in recent weeks. In other states, these have been early indicators that a detention center may be preparing to open.

The Rivers facility was previously shut down in 2021 after serious allegations of abuse and misconduct. At a time when deaths in ICE detention are rising nationwide, we cannot allow a facility with that history to open without a fight.

Hertford County Commissioners meet next on April 20, 2026. Contact the Commissioners and demand:

• Publicly share any information they have received from GEO Group about plans for the Rivers facility
• Do everything in their power to stop any plan to reopen the Rivers facility