TEXAS: South Texans Opposing Private Prisons (STOPP)

"People are always saying, 'What should we do with all these
undocumented immigrants?' But they are not saying what they are already
doing with these immigrants. They are not telling you that these bills
expand the detention centers already in existence in this country. They
are not telling you about the 2,800-bed detention facility that they are trying to build 300 miles south of here in Laredo. Join me in calling
for an end to detentions, an end to deportation, and justice for all
immigrants."

- Silky Shah, Grassroots Leadership organizer, speaking to a crowd of
10,000 at a march for immigrant rights in Austin, TX on April 10, 2006.

Near the Rio Grande in Laredo, Texas

South Texans Opposing Private Prisons (STOPP) was formed in the fall of 2003 in an effort to stop the expansion of the incarceration industry in south Texas – starting with the construction of the Laredo “superjail”.  The “superjail” is a proposed 2,800 bed detention facility solicited by the US Marshals Service.  The STOPP Coalition is comprised of immigrant rights organizations, civic organizations, labor unions, criminal justice reform organizers, and student activists to oppose the construction of private jails in South Texas.  For more information on the coalition, visit the STOPP Coalition website.

Webb County Jail Laredo, Texas

Border Control Path in Laredo, Texas

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