A new ICE facility could speed up deportations for families and kids
ICE says the site will hold families and children for up to 72 hours to streamline deportation flights.
- The Trump administration plans to open a 528-bed holding facility for migrant families near Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana to accelerate deportations. Immigration and Customs Enforcement describes it as a "staging area," not a detention center.
- More than 4,400 immigration enforcement flights operated out of the Alexandria hub in 2025, making it the nation's largest deportation hub. The facility aims to resolve logistical challenges in transporting migrants to airport departure points.
- LaSalle Corrections, a private prison contractor, will operate the facility through its nonprofit arm, the LaSalle Family Foundation. Officials instructed contractors to avoid bars or cages and allow families to "wear their own clothes."
- Immigration advocates expressed concern that children could be held for weeks or months despite the stated 72-hour limit. Leecia Welch, chief legal counsel at Children's Rights, called the plan an "expansion of the deportation system."
- Past incidents illustrate the difficulty of managing families near airports; a federal judge previously intervened when Guatemalan children were left waiting on a tarmac for hours last year. The facility's operational success remains uncertain given prior oversight challenges.
66 Articles
66 Articles
A new ICE facility in US could speed up deportations for families and kids
The Trump administration is establishing a new 528-bed facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, to expedite migrant deportations. This "staging area" aims to streamline the process for families and unaccompanied children near a major deportation flight hub. While ICE labels it a temporary holding center, advocates fear prolonged stays and lack of oversight, citing concerns about a private prison company operating the site.
Associated Press News
A new ICE facility could speed up deportations for families and kids
The Trump administration plans to open a 528-bed holding center for migrant families and unaccompanied children awaiting removal from the U.S., putting it next to a Louisiana airfield that has become the nation’s largest hub of deportation flights.
The U.S. government plans to open a detention center with 528 beds for migrant families and children travelling unaccompanied by an adult relative next to an airport, seeking to speed up deportations.
Telemundo Phoenix/Tucson
The U.S. government plans to open a 528-bed detention center for migrant families and unaccompanied children near an airport, hoping to expedite deportations. The location in Alexandria, Louisiana, would eliminate the logistical challenges of coordinating the transfer of children from foster homes and shelters across the country and the lack of a place to house them during final flight preparations. These obstacles were highlighted last year whe…
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