New Migrant Facility
ICE Plans New Louisiana Facility to Streamline Migrant Family Deportations
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ICE plans to open a 528-bed holding facility for migrant families and unaccompanied children in Alexandria, Louisiana, according to ABC News. The facility would sit next to an airport hub, and officials say it could be up and running as early as August.
The goal is to speed up deportations by keeping families and children in one central place. Right now, children are often scattered across foster homes and shelters nationwide, making it hard to move them quickly.
Why Alexandria and Why an Airport Next Door
The Louisiana location was chosen largely because of its airport access, ABC News reported. Moving children out of the country requires flights. Having a facility right next to an air hub removes a major logistical hurdle. Agents would no longer need to drive children long distances before putting them on a plane.
The facility would hold 528 people total — both families and unaccompanied minors. It would be run by a nonprofit arm of LaSalle Corrections, a private prison contractor based in Louisiana.
ICE Says This Is for 'Self-Deportation' Families
ICE officials have been careful about the language used to describe the facility. Families inside cannot be called prisoners, detainees, or inmates, according to ABC 7 Chicago. Officials say the site is meant for families who have chosen to leave the country on their own — a process called self-deportation.
Self-deportation means a person agrees to leave rather than being physically forced out. ICE frames the facility as a way to help that process move faster, not as a punishment.
Advocates Warn Children Could Be Held for Months
Immigration advocates are pushing back hard. They worry that children could end up stuck at the facility for weeks or even months, according to 6ABC. That kind of long stay, they argue, could actually slow down deportation cases rather than speed them up.
Advocates also raise child welfare concerns. Keeping kids in a centralized holding site for extended periods — even one not labeled a detention center — can cause lasting harm, critics say. Legal and oversight questions about the facility remain unanswered.
Private Prison Contractor at the Center of the Deal
LaSalle Corrections, the company behind the facility, is a major private prison operator in the South. Its nonprofit arm would manage day-to-day operations at the new site, ABC 11 reported. Private contractors running immigration facilities have drawn scrutiny in the past over conditions and oversight.
The facility could open as early as August, giving ICE a new tool just as summer deportation pushes are expected to ramp up. Whether courts or Congress will weigh in before then remains unclear.
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