EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso County is discussing its legal rights and responsibilities regarding ICE detention centers within county limits during today’s El Paso County Commissioners Court in executive session.
This comes after the potential opening of a new ICE detention center in Clint, Texas. ABC-7 previously reported that the El Paso City Council will also discuss an agenda item at tomorrow’s meeting to prevent the construction of more ICE facilities within city limits.
The Department of Homeland Security provided ABC-7 with the following statement regarding proposed new detention centers in El Paso:
“At this time, we have no new detention centers to announce. Every day, the Department of Homeland Security conducts law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should come as no surprise that ICE is making arrests in various U.S. states and is actively working to expand detention capacity.
ICE focuses on the most dangerous criminals, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and others. Seventy percent of ICE arrests involve undocumented immigrants charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States. Thanks to new funding legislation, ICE has new funds to expand detention capacity and keep these criminals off American streets before their eventual removal from our communities,” according to an ICE spokesperson.
ABC-7 also spoke with El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and Precinct 3 Commissioner Iliana Holguin about ICE detention centers in El Paso.
Watch the full story tonight on ABC-7 at 5 and 6 p.m.