Following a heated public meeting that ended in confusion, a West Tennessee CoreCivic prison is reopening to house federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees.
The Aug. 12 meeting of the Mason Board of Mayor and Aldermen was called to vote on a contract between the town of Mason and private prison operator CoreCivic, and another between the town and ICE. The meeting drew around 100 people to Mason, Tenn.’s fire station, an overflow space across from the town hall, although only a few dozen members of the public were allowed inside the building. Attendees were wanded with a metal detector by Mason police, who provide public safety to a town of fewer than 1,500 residents.
Attendees at an Aug. 12, 2025, meeting of the Mason Board of Mayor and Aldermen
Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters
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Mason Mayor Eddie Noeman
Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters
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Mason Alderman Virginia Rivers
Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters
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