The George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thornton has held a substantial population of ICE immigration detainees under an Intergovernmental Service Agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As one of the largest county jail facilities in the Philadelphia metropolitan region — with a capacity exceeding 2,000 people — George W. Hill has represented one of the more significant immigration detention points in the northeastern United States, holding civil immigration detainees from across the region awaiting proceedings before the Philadelphia and Newark immigration courts.
Who Is Held as an ICE Detainee at George W. Hill
ICE civil immigration detainees held at facilities like George W. Hill are not criminals — they are held for civil administrative immigration violations: overstayed visas, unauthorized entry, final orders of removal that they are contesting in immigration court, or pending removal to countries where the process has stalled. They are detained alongside people who have been arrested on criminal charges, in the same physical facility, subject to the same lockdown schedules, visiting restrictions, and conditions — despite the fundamental legal difference between criminal detention and civil immigration detention.
The immigration detainee population at George W. Hill has historically included people from a wide range of countries — Central and South America, the Caribbean, West and East Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Many have family members, children, and established lives in the Philadelphia region. The detention center's location in Delaware County is accessible from Philadelphia, which has a large immigrant community and the legal infrastructure (immigration attorneys, nonprofits, consular offices) to support detained people.
The ICE Contract During the Private-to-Public Transition
The ongoing transition from GEO Group to Delaware County management introduces uncertainty about the future of the ICE detainee contract. GEO Group, as a private prison corporation with federal detention contracts across the country, managed the ICE population at George W. Hill as part of its broader federal detention business. As Delaware County assumes management, the county must decide whether to maintain the ICE IGSA or phase it out.
Immigrant rights advocates have pushed Delaware County to end ICE detention as part of the transition to public management — arguing that a county government that has committed to greater accountability and progressive values should not continue detaining civil immigration detainees in its jail. The county government has to weigh the per-diem revenue from the ICE contract against the advocacy pressure and operational complexity of the federal relationship.
Legal Resources for ICE Detainees at George W. Hill
- HIAS Pennsylvania: hiaspa.org — provides free immigration legal services including representation for detained people in the Philadelphia region
- USCIS immigration attorney referral: The Philadelphia immigration bar has multiple attorneys handling detained cases
- ICE Detainee Locator: locator.ice.gov — find a detained person's current location by name and country of birth
- Philadelphia Immigration Court: Handles proceedings for ICE detainees held in the Delaware Valley region
Family Contact for ICE Detainees
ICE detainees at George W. Hill use the facility's standard communication infrastructure for phone calls, messaging, and money. Confirm current platforms (which may be changing during the management transition) by calling the facility at (610) 459-5300. Every ICE detainee has the right to contact their country's consulate regardless of their immigration status — officers are required to inform them of this right under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
George W. Hill Correctional Facility: 365 Maryland Road, Thornton, PA 19373. Phone: (610) 459-5300. ICE detainee locator: locator.ice.gov.