The South Texas Family Residential Center is the largest immigrant detention center in the United States. Opened in December 2014 in
Dilley, Texas
Dilley is a city in Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,894 at the 2010 census. It is located off Interstate 35 south of the county seat in Pearsall.
Geography
Dilley is located in southern Frio County at (28.670824, –9 ...
, it has a capacity of 2,400 and is intended to detain mainly women and children from Central America.
On June 12, 2015, it was reported that the facility was holding 1,735 people, approximately 1,000 of whom were children.
In filings dated September 30, 2018, the operator stated that the property was 100% full. By April 2019, there were 499 women and children in the facility.
CoreCivic
CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas W. Beasl ...
, previously called "Corrections Corporation of America", is seeking a license to operate the facility as a General Residential Operation but litigation was brought by
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid on behalf of Grassroots Leadership and the detainees themselves to block the licensing by the
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is responsible for investigating charges of abuse, neglect or exploitation of children, elderly adults and adults with disabilities. Prior to its creation in 2004, the agency had been c ...
.
Location and description
The site is located approximately 100 miles north of the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
and 70 miles southwest of San Antonio, southwest of
Dilley, Texas
Dilley is a city in Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,894 at the 2010 census. It is located off Interstate 35 south of the county seat in Pearsall.
Geography
Dilley is located in southern Frio County at (28.670824, –9 ...
, in Frio County.
The address is 1925 W.
Highway 85, Dilley, Texas, United States, zip code 78017.
The 50-acre site contains 80 small, tan-colored, two-bedroom, one-bathroom cottages in which the families will live. The cottages can house up to 8 people and contain bunk beds as well as baby cribs. They also have a flat-screen television. There is a kitchen, but cooking is not allowed in order to prevent fires. The cottages are connected by dirt roads.
There are also recreational and medical facilities, a school, trailer classrooms, a library, a basketball court, playgrounds, and email access. A cafeteria is open for 12 hours a day, but snacks can be obtained at any hour.
The site was formerly a camp used by oilfield workers.
Detainees
The South Texas Family Residential Center was at first only able to accommodate 480 people when the first group of residents arrive in December 2014 from a Border Patrol training camp located in
Artesia, New Mexico
Artesia is a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, centered at the intersection of U.S. routes 82 and 285; the two highways serve as the city's Main Street and First Street, respectively. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,301.
Hist ...
. The capacity was 2,400 residents by May 2014 with a staff of 600. It was will eventually planned to have a capacity of 3,000.
It is intended to detain mostly women and children from Central America.
Administration
The facility opened in 2014 and is operated mainly by
CoreCivic
CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas W. Beasl ...
.
Local sources indicated the United States Government pays approximately $19 million monthly to operate the facility.
The operating cost of the facility will be $296 per person per day according to a statement made to reporters by an official at
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...
.
The warden is Janice Killian.
See also
*
Willacy County Correctional Center
Willacy County Correctional Center is a closed detention center located on the east side of Route 77, at the edge of Raymondville City, Willacy County, Texas, United States. - another major detention center in south
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
that is now closed due to a 2015 riot
References
External links
www.southtexasfamilycenter.comwww.cca.com/facilities/south-texas-family-residential-center
{{DEFAULTSORT:South Texas Family Residential Center
Immigration detention centers and prisons in the United States
Prisons in Texas
Private prisons in the United States
Buildings and structures in Frio County, Texas
2014 establishments in Texas
CoreCivic