The Biden administration plans to shut down Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) largest detention center, citing its status as the “most expensive facility” in the nation, according to a report by the New York Post. The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, which can hold up to 2,400 illegal immigrants, is run by private prison contractor CoreCivic, based in Tennessee.
This decision has been criticized as a “deliberate act of amnesty through inaction.” In a June 10 press release, ICE stated, “ICE continually reviews the overall detention capacity and in doing so, takes action to close certain facilities that no longer provide a sufficient return on investment. This includes closing the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, which is the most expensive facility in the national detention network.”
ICE plans to reallocate funding from the closing of this facility to “increase the overall detention bed capacity across the system by an estimated 1,600 beds to better support operational needs.” The agency added that this additional bed space is being pursued nationwide and is expected to be available immediately.
The New York Post noted that the current number of illegal aliens held at the facility is unclear. However, approximately 7.4 million have been released into the United States while they await court hearings, with some missing their court dates and now wanted for deportation. The South Texas center, located about 75 miles outside San Antonio, was used to detain families during the Obama administration and has been used to hold single adults since 2021.
ICE Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Patrick J. Lechleitner stated, “We continue to evaluate contracts to ensure we are financially responsible and can increase removal flights and detention bed space capacity to support the dynamic immigration landscape while operating within the budget provided by Congress.” Lechleitner added that closing the detention facility “will provide an overall increase in bed space and operate at or above the FY24 appropriated 41,500 minimum bed requirement while maximizing removal flights.”
John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE Denver Field Office director, criticized the decision, stating it was not just a “lapse in judgment, but a deliberate act of amnesty through inaction.” He described Biden’s recent executive order to curb illegal immigration as “nothing more than political theatre aimed at appeasing certain voter bases rather than addressing the real issues at hand.” This move highlights the ongoing struggle between enforcing immigration laws and addressing the broader challenges of border security.
