New Massive ICE Detention Center in El Paso, Texas

El Paso's New Immigration Detention Facility

• 📍 A new, massive immigration detention facility, potentially the largest in U.S. history, has opened in El Paso, Texas.
• 🏗️ The facility, known as the East Montana Detention Center or 'Lonear Lockup', is a soft-sided tent structure located on Fort Bliss Army property.
• 💨 It was built rapidly in an undeveloped area characterized by sand dunes and scrub brush.

Capacity and Population

• 👥 The center opened less than two weeks ago with approximately 1,000 detainees and has since increased to about 1,500.
• 📈 It has the potential to eventually house up to 5,000 people, including both men and women.
• ✈️ Some detainees have been transferred to this facility from the 'Alligator Alcatraz' in South Florida.

Concerns and Advocacy

• ⚖️ Advocates express concern over the care of individuals within the rapidly constructed facility.
• 🗣️ There are also worries about detainees' ability to communicate with and receive visits from lawyers.
• 🤝 Attorneys are actively working with federal officials to address these issues as the facility's population grows.