ICE Contracts GEO Group to Open Winton Detention Center

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a five-year support services contract with The GEO Group, Inc. to activate a federal immigration processing center at the former Rivers Correctional Institution in Winton, North Carolina. The facility, a former federal prison that closed in 2021 or 2022, will feature 1,320 beds and is expected to be one of the largest immigration detention centers on the East Coast. The center is slated to reopen this fall, with some reports suggesting a start in late September.

The deal is projected to generate approximately $80 million in annual revenue for the private prison company during its first full year of operations. The company will provide security, maintenance, and food services at the site. This activation follows a surge in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has seen over 6,300 arrests in North Carolina since January 2025, and the passage of the North Carolina Border Protection Act requiring state law enforcement cooperation with federal detainers.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein opposed the move, stating that he did not approve the transaction and that ICE and Border Patrol have not earned the state's trust. The plan has triggered protests by immigration rights advocates in Raleigh and Ahoskie. While some view the reopening as a source of local employment for Hertford County, the facility's return marks a reversal of the Biden administration's prior directive to phase out private prisons.