Largest Immigration Detention Center to Open in Texas

The federal government will establish the country’s largest immigration detention facility at Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas, in a contract valued at $1.2 billion. This new detention center will have the capacity to hold up to 5,000 undocumented immigrants simultaneously, aligning with the administration’s increased deportation efforts.

The Department of Defense awarded Virginia-based Acquisition Logistics LLC a contract to set up a temporary tent city on the base, with operations running until September 30, 2027. The initiative aims to create more detention space to accommodate the administration’s goal of deporting one million illegal immigrants annually. This effort is supported by an additional $45 billion allocated for expanding detention beds nationwide.

The crackdown includes expanding existing detention facilities such as “Alligator Alcatraz” — a tent detention center in the Florida Everglades capable of holding up to 3,000 detainees, with plans to increase capacity to 5,000. Other military bases, including Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, are also being considered for deportation activities.

Border officials emphasize the urgency, with officials like Tom Homan stating, “We’re looking for any available bed space that meets detention standards. The quicker we get the beds, the more people we can process and remove from the streets.”

Fort Bliss has historically been used for immigration-related purposes, previously housing unaccompanied minors and Afghan refugees following US military withdrawals.