ICE officials say converting large warehouses into detention centers near major hubs will allow the agency to handle rising arrests more efficiently and avoid shuttling detainees around the country in search of space.<\/p>\n
The competing views in Hutchins, less than 10 miles south of downtown Dallas, reflects rising tension across Texas as ICE moves forward with a major four-part expansion.<\/p>\n
An internal agency document reviewed by The Dallas Morning News identifies, for the first time, the address of the Hutchins warehouse and names three other new centers statewide that together would add at least 20,000 beds.<\/p>\n
The four facilities would significantly increase ICE\u2019s detention footprint in a state where Republican leaders largely have backed the Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n
Establishing more detention facilities will expedite\u201d the federal government\u2019s \u201cwork to remove criminal illegals and make our communities safer,\u201d said U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Terrell. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t need to expand detention space if Joe Biden and Democrats didn\u2019t leave our border open for four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Critics say the scale of the plan could strain local infrastructure, spread fear among immigrant families and raise health and safety concerns about conditions inside large detention centers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should not be housing human beings in a warehouse meant for packages,\u201d said the Rev. Eric Folkerth, a senior pastor at Kessler Park United Methodist Church. <\/p>\n
He and other members of the Clergy League for Emergency Action and Response rallied last week at the church, warning the massive facility would dehumanize migrants and strain local resources. <\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
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According to the ICE document, Hutchins and El Paso would operate as \u201cmega\u201d detention centers, with the El Paso site holding about 8,500 people, alongside two new smaller processing centers in San Antonio and Los Fresnos.<\/p>\n
The Washington Post last month reported <\/a>on the federal efforts to open new detention centers, and the ICE documents reviewed by The News reveal specific locations, capacities and the scale of the Texas expansion.<\/p>\n Meantime, Dallas County Clerk John Warren told The News this week that the county had not received a deed indicating any sale of the privately owned 1 million-square-foot warehouse. <\/p>\n No formal notice<\/p>\n Vasquez, the mayor, said the city had no confirmation from federal authorities about plans to convert the empty warehouse and that he had no contact with any ICE representatives. <\/p>\n The agency\u2019s Dallas office also did not respond to questions about the centers. <\/p>\n Tricia McLaughlin, speaking for the Department of Homeland Security, ICE\u2019s parent agency, said Monday the agency has no new detention sites to announce but is expanding space nationwide as arrests rise. <\/p>\n \u201cICE is targeting the worst of the worst,\u201d she said, adding that 70% of arrests involve people charged with or convicted of crimes.<\/p>\n In April, Todd Lyons, the acting director for ICE, said at a border security conference in Phoenix the agency should treat deportations in the same way Amazon delivers packages with intense speed. <\/p>\n
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