The U.S. government is constructing a massive 5,000-person detention center in west Texas, according to newly released government contract announcements. The project significantly boosts the Trump administration’s capacity to detain immigrants as part of its expanding deportation efforts.
A Defense Department contract released Monday revealed that Acquisition Logistics, a Virginia-based company, has been awarded $232 million in Army funds to build the facility, which will house single adult immigrants.
Procurement documents described the project as a “soft sided facility”—a term commonly used for tent-based detention centers.
The announcement comes just weeks after Florida officials hastily built a new detention site known as “Alligator Alcatraz” on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swamp in the Florida Everglades.
The new Texas facility will be located in El Paso, near Fort Bliss, an Army base that spans parts of Texas and New Mexico.
President Donald Trump recently signed legislation allocating $170 billion toward border and immigration enforcement. Of that, $45 billion is earmarked specifically for detention. Over the next five years, ICE will receive $76.5 billion in additional funding—nearly 10 times its current annual budget.
Trump has pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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