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Texas Immigrant Family Detention Center to Reopen Under New ICE Agreement

The Dilley facility, previously closed after Biden's policy shift, will resume operations through 2030 as CoreCivic secures a renewed contract.

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In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum hold hands as they leave a cafeteria at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The isolation of at least three families at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention center in Dilley, has raised new fears of the coronavirus spreading through a facility that has long been accused of providing substandard medical care.
This June 30, 2015 file photo shows a sign at the entrance to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. A report that a child died shortly after being released from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas has inflamed the debate over the detention of immigrant families. The American Immigration Lawyers Association said Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, that it had learned of the death of a child shortly after the child and parent left the ICE family detention center at Dilley. 
South Texas Family Residential Center, an ICE detention center in Dilley on Sept. 30, 2020.

Overview

  • CoreCivic announced the reopening of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley under a new agreement with ICE and the city of Dilley, effective through March 2030.
  • The 2,400-bed facility, built in 2014, was previously used during the Obama and Trump administrations but closed in 2024 following Biden's phase-out of family detention in 2021.
  • CoreCivic stated the facility will provide residential services, including recreational activities, counseling, and access to legal and religious support, though details on who will be detained remain unclear.
  • The Dilley center has faced past criticism, including allegations of inadequate medical care and psychological distress for detainees, raising concerns among advocates.
  • This reopening aligns with ICE's increased demand for detention capacity, as family arrivals accounted for one-third of border crossings last year.