Opponents of planned N.J. immigration center to rally at Essex County Freeholders meeting | NJ.com

Opponents of planned N.J. immigration center to rally at Essex County Freeholders meeting | NJ.com

Published: Wednesday, December 07, 2011, 8:35 AM Updated: Wednesday, December 07, 2011, 8:36 AM

By The Associated Press
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EnlargeJennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerImmigrants and human rights advocates wearing orange jump suits to represent detainees, walk three miles from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in downtown Newark to the Essex County Correctional Facility. The march is to highlight their opposition the planned addition of 2,700 immigration-detention beds to what they say are already crowded and inhumane facilities. (Jennifer Brown/The Star-Ledger)Immigration, human rights advocates march in Newark in protest of additional detention beds gallery(6 photos)

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NEWARK — Advocates opposed to a planned New Jersey immigrant detention center say they plan to conduct a rally today.

A coalition of groups who are against immigration detention say the system is disruptive to families.

They plan to protest this evening's Essex County Freeholders meeting in Newark. They will present a petition that organizers say has more than 3,000 signatures opposing the county's plan to expand its immigrant detention facilities.

A contract to enlarge an existing facility was canceled earlier this year after questioned were raised as to why a politically connected company was the sole bidder.

County officials have said they plan to conduct the bidding process again. They argue immigrant detention facilities are a good source of revenue for the county.