The South Texas Family Residential Center is the largest immigrant detention center in the United States. First opened in December 2014 in Dilley, Texas, 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, Inc. 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. B ...

, 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, the elderly, and adults with disabilities. Prior to its creation in 2004, the agency had been ca ...

. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) closed the detention center in June 2024, citing cost savings to add more beds in other facilities as the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

implemented new border restrictions. In 2025, CoreCivic announced a new contract with ICE to reopen the facility.

Location and description

The site is located approximately 100 miles north of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

and 70 miles southwest of San Antonio, southwest of Dilley, Texas, 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 2020 census, the city population was 12,875. His ...

. 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

and Target Hospitality. On June 10, 2024 CoreCivic received a notification from ICE stating their intention to terminate their contract as they move to close the facility due to high costs. 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 United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...

. The warden is Janice Killian.

References

External links

www.southtexasfamilycenter.com

www.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 2024 disestablishments in Texas CoreCivic

Location and description

Detainees

Administration

See also

References

External links