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In a memo to U.S. lawmakers on Monday, ICE said it would shutter
the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas,
freeing up money to expand detention bed space elsewhere.
Biden, a Democrat seeking another term in Nov. 5 elections,
rolled out a policy last week that bars most migrants who cross
the U.S.-Mexico border illegally from claiming asylum. The new
asylum ban aims to quickly process migrants for potential
deportation, which could strain ICE's detention space.
As of June 6, the agency held around 37,000 people, close to its
funded capacity of 41,500, ICE figures show.
The move to close the Texas facility, known as "Dilley," frees
up resources for an additional 1,600 beds, ICE said in the memo,
which was reviewed by Reuters. ICE confirmed the closure in a
related press release.
Dilley was opened in 2014 to house migrant families caught
crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, a contentious
practice the Biden administration halted by early 2022.
The center, operated by the private company CoreCivic , held
around 1,800 people as of June 6, the bulk of whom were women
with no criminal records, ICE records show.
Dilley was one of nine detention centers identified in an
internal 2022 memo recommending closing or downsizing centers
with high costs or staffing shortages. The memo, reported by
Reuters last year, said ICE could save $129 million by closing
it.
In the memo to Congress, ICE said Dilley was "the most expensive
facility in the national detention network."
ICE also said it was "optimizing" its contracts with charter
airlines to potentially increase the number of deportation
flights per week.
CoreCivic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Mary Milliken
and Josie Kao)
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