El Paso, Texas, a city no stranger to the issue of illegal immigration, is witnessing a shift in the tide.
The city, once a gateway for illegal immigrants, is now becoming a hub for their departure. According to data from Customs and Border Protection in August, the El Paso Sector of the southern border saw over 13,000 illegal immigrants pass through. However, a recent development, dubbed the Lone Star Lockup, signals a change in the city's role in immigration matters.
As reported by Western Journal, the Trump administration, in a reversal of Biden-era policies, has inaugurated a new facility at the U.S. Armys Fort Bliss in El Paso. Trump administration officials have touted this facility as "the largest federal detention center in history," according to WYFF-TV. The center, which opened its doors on Sunday, currently houses 1,000 illegal immigrants but is projected to accommodate up to 5,000 individuals by 2027.
Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, noted the swift increase in detention levels under the Trump administration. "Now, there are almost 60,000 people detained in ICE facilities, she stated. Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, affirmed that the expansion is a crucial component of the Trump administration's strategy to deport illegal immigrants.
McLaughlin further explained that the One Big Beautiful Bill has allocated unprecedented funding to support this mandate, particularly by ensuring sufficient detention capacity. She said, The One Big Beautiful Bill has provided historic funding to help us carry out this mandate, especially by securing enough detention capacity to maintain an average daily population of 100,000 illegal aliens and 80,000 new ICE beds.
The Fort Bliss facility, according to McLaughlin, will provide all the amenities of a traditional ICE detention center, including access to legal representation, a law library, visitation rights, recreational space, medical treatment facilities, and balanced meals. Accommodations for disabilities, dietary requirements, and religious beliefs will also be provided.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who coined the center's nickname during a recent tour, praised the facility for offering a more humane environment for illegal immigrants, according to KFOX-TV. These are humane, safe facilities and a vast improvement [over] what these folks are used to, he said.
However, the facility has its critics. Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas expressed concern over the $1.2 billion cost of the facility, suggesting that the funds could be better spent on healthcare or law enforcement in El Paso, according to NewsNation.
In contrast, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas argued that the new center would alleviate overcrowding in other facilities as illegal immigrants await deportation. Fort Bliss is an amazing military facility, Gonzales said. Everything thrown their way, theyve handled. We should be supporting this, not attacking it.
Tom Homan, the border czar, hinted at the possibility of other states following in the footsteps of Florida and Texas in hosting large detention facilities, according to WYFF. I wont name them until we actually have an agreement on it, but there are several states that have stepped up wanting to assist, Homan said.
Login