Several demonstrators were arrested Monday after blocking the entrance to CoreCivic's headquarters in Nashville.
Demonstrators staged themselves at the entrance of the facility to “defend families and demand an end to private prisons.” The Nashville-based private prison contracts with ICE.
Sky 5 flew over the facility and showed several tents set up around the building, including some banners that read “how many kids have to be jailed before you care?”
They also replaced the Tennessee flag with the words "No Borders." Demonstrators were also heard chanting "abolish ICE now."
“CoreCivic is a human rights disaster in our own backyard,” Jeannie Alexander, of No Exceptions Prison Collective, said in a statement.
Related Story: Council Members Want City to Divest In Private Prisons
The protest began around 6 a.m. Monday, and officers took the final person from a suspended structure around 3 p.m.
They’ve got the protester on the platform truck. @NC5pic.twitter.com/XMewruI7lE
— Kyle Horan (@KyleHoranNC5) August 6, 2018
CoreCivic released a statement, saying the facility doesn't "provide housing for any children who aren’t under the supervision of a parent. We also don’t operate shelters for unaccompanied minors, nor do we operate border patrol facilities."
"CoreCivic plays a valued but limited role in America’s immigration system, which we have done for every administration – Democrat and Republican – for more than 30 years. While we know this is a highly charged, emotional issue for many people, much of the information about our company being shared by special interest groups is wrong and politically motivated, resulting in some people reaching misguided conclusions about what we do. The fact is our sole job is to help the government solve problems in ways it could not do alone – to help manage unprecedented humanitarian crises, dramatically improve the standard of care for vulnerable people, and meet other critical needs efficiently and innovatively."
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