A Community Divided by Its Immigration Detention Center - Spectrum News 1

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APPLE VALLEY, Calif. — On a recent morning, immigrants' rights organizer Kimberly Galindo placed coffins in front of Adelanto City Hall.

She hoped to shock the system into change.

The coffins represented the people who have died at the nearby Adelanto Immigration Detention Center since it opened.

What You Need To Know

The detention center is creating a rift between community members
Immigrants rights organizers want to shut it down as they allege mistreatment of detainees

Workers and those who support the facility say it is a source for jobs and it serves a critical junction
Both groups (pro and against the facility) are facing harassment and threats

Galindo grew up and still lives in the High Desert.

"My first job was here, in Bravo Burgers – right out of high school. I knew about the detention center when it first started in 2011. I've seen it grow, unfortunately," Galindo said.

The Adelanto Immigration Detention Center continues to grow.

It is why Galindo led a protest against the immigration center's plan to add 750 beds.

"It's kind of just disgusting they are trying to get this detention even filled more [sic]. So yeah, it's disgusting," Galindo said.

Her job as the High Desert organizer for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, also known as IC4IJ, was created to keep an eye on the detention center. However, her constant battle against the facility, in this political climate, has also made her a target.

Galindo said she has faced harassment and threats from community members and is careful about what she shares.

Danielle Nowicki is a detention officer at Adelanto. She has worked for the contractor, GEO Group, for the last nine years.

Nowicki said having a job near her home allows her to spend her afternoons with her 8-year-old son Daniel, who has cerebral palsy.

"Everything I do, I do for Daniel. He is the joy of our life," Nowicki said.

The detention center is one of the biggest employers in the area.

"We support the local restaurants. We bought homes in the community. It supports the infrastructure. Our tax revenue alone has helped the city of Adelanto," Nowicki said.

More than their economic impact, she is proud of her work and how she cares for the detainees. However, in this political climate, Nowicki feels like she has to hide it.

"I think that people think that we are all racists that we hate people. That we are unfair and unjust, and that we are mean. I'll be honest with you, I don't advertise where I work, and I don't wear my GEO shirt or show my GEO ID anywhere because it's not safe."