As the United States grapples with an escalating migrant crisis, a detention facility in California, capable of housing up to 1,940 detainees, is currently accommodating a mere five individuals.
The Adelanto ICE Processing Center, located approximately 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, remains largely vacant while the San Diego border area is overwhelmed with an influx of migrants, with 37,000 illegal crossers apprehended in April alone.
The underutilization of the Adelanto facility is due to a 2020 court order, which prevents it from accepting more detainees. The order was issued in response to a lawsuit concerning the spread of COVID-19 and mandates that detainees maintain a six-foot social distance at all times. This requirement persists despite similar rules being abandoned in detention facilities across the rest of the country.
Typically, the Border Patrol detains individuals for up to 72 hours, after which those identified as potential threats are transferred to ICE facilities for further investigation. John Fabbricatore, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office director, criticized the Biden administration for not seeking to lift the court order at Adelanto. "If the Biden administration was serious about using detention beds, it would ask for the COVID-era court order at Adelanto to be lifted," Fabbricatore told The Post.
Fabbricatore further warned of the escalating situation, stating, "This situation is nearing a boiling point, as we keep allowing individuals from hostile nations to enter the United States unchecked." In April, San Diego arrested 10,000 migrants from 69 countries in a single week, as reported by Chief Border Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel.
When border sectors are overwhelmed, as is the case with San Diego, which had approximately 1,500 more migrants in custody than it has space for, migrants are processed more rapidly and with less scrutiny. This makes the ability to transfer individuals to ICE for further evaluation crucial. Fabbricatore added, "[The administrations] inaction has resulted in the release of Special Interest Aliens individuals from countries with adversarial positions towards the United States into American communities rather than detaining them per usual protocol."
Recent errors at the border have included the release of a known Somali terrorist and a Colombian fugitive wanted for murder into the US. These cases were only acknowledged after the individuals had been reapprehended by federal authorities.
Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte, whose district includes Adelanto, has urged the Biden administration to resume normal operations. Despite housing only five people, taxpayers are still funding space for 640 individuals at the facility, according to data seen by The Post. Obernolte stated, "We must bring this facility fully online and utilize its capacity to reduce the financial burden that the enormous flow of illegal immigrants streaming across the border has had on our community."
The Biden administration had planned to close the Adelanto facility in December. However, ICE initiated a 60-day evaluation of the detention center, followed by an additional 120 days to allow "additional time for potential relief from ongoing litigation that prevents full use of the facility," as reported by Fox News in January.
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