BALDWIN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A, 1,800-bed prison in Lake County that’s been closed for nearly three years will be reopened as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center.

Florida-based The GEO Group, which secured the new contract with ICE, made the announcement Thursday. It will work to secure a long-term contract for the former North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin over the next several months.

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This new agreement would reopen the space for “the immediate activation of a federal immigration processing center.” GEO said the ICE facility will also boast security, maintenance, food services, recreational amenities, medical care, and legal counsel.

George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “We expect that our company-owned North Lake Facility in Michigan will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bedspace,” He continued, “We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities.”

This move will likely make work easier for border agents who work to secure Michigan. Border patrol agents in both Sault Ste. Marie and Detroit have put out numerous reports of illegal alien arrests at the Michigan-Canada border since President Donald Trump assumed office two months ago. Officials said some of the arrests have involved previously deported foreigners and members of violent transnational gangs.

A long-term contract is still in the works; GEO officials said a multi-year contract could generate $70 million, which would be a boon for the surrounding Baldwin community.

According to its website, GEO conducts worldwide operations for 99 facilities totaling 79,000 beds.