Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expected to begin using a Texas military base to detain individuals who immigrated to the U.S. illegally on Aug. 17.
The El Paso-area site, Fort Bliss, is still being developed and will initially receive 1,000 detainees, according to the Department of Defense.
Over the next two years, officials plan to expand the total capacity to 5,000.
“Upon completion, this will be the largest federal detention center in history for this critical mission — the deportation of illegal aliens,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters on Thursday.
The facility is being constructed under a Department of Defense contract worth up to $1.2 billion, according to Border Report.
“After initial operating capacity is reached, the contractor will add more beds in increments of 250 beds a week, until a capacity of 3,000 beds is reached,” the agency said in a statement sent to the outlet.
“ICE personnel will be responsible for the management and operational authority pertaining to Camp East Montana,” they added.
ICE officials told the outlet that detainees would be granted access to legal representation, a law library and recreational space.
The new site comes amid a slew of legal battles mounting against the Trump administration’s immigration agenda as the president seeks to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily halted the construction of Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility in the Florida Everglades where hundreds of immigrants are being detained.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams cited noncompliance with federal environmental law in her order.
Immigration advocates celebrated the win, as some have expressed concerns over alleged inhumane conditions at detention sites.
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