Dilley, Texas ICE Facility to be Shut Down by Biden Administration

The Biden administration is set to close a facility used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dilley, Texas, to detain families and single adults found illegally crossing the U.S. southern border, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

ICE officials have stated that the detention center is more costly than other facilities, prompting the administration to seek cost savings as it prepares to finance additional detention centers following President Joe Biden’s recent executive action on border issues.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains committed to meeting the evolving operational demands of the immigration enforcement mission in a financially responsible manner,” said Patrick J. Lechleitner, Acting Director of ICE, in a statement.

“We are continually reviewing contracts to ensure fiscal responsibility and enhance removal flights and detention bed space capacity to support the dynamic immigration environment while operating within the budget allocated by Congress.”

Officials noted to the Journal that without additional funding from Congress, the Biden administration cannot deport more migrants without increasing the capacity to hold them while awaiting deportation. However, with the anticipated savings from the closure of Dilley, the administration can potentially add up to 1,600 more beds in other detention centers.

Dilley, originally constructed to accommodate oil field workers, has been utilized during the Obama and Trump administrations to detain families, including children, who illegally crossed the southern border. This practice ceased under Biden, and the facility has been used to detain single adults since 2021.