A new facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, is poised to begin receiving undocumented families with children and unaccompanied minors, according to local officials and immigrant rights advocates.
The 528-bed facility, located in renovated former Air Force barracks at England Airpark, is designed to house families with children, unaccompanied minors, and single adult females as they await processing. A draft agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the England Economic and Industrial Development District (EEIDD) indicates the facility could start receiving individuals within the next one to two weeks.
This facility marks a shift, as it is intended to hold unaccompanied minors, who are typically housed in shelters managed by the Department of Health and Human Services before deportation or release. The board of commissioners governing the airpark approved the facility in February, despite protests from some local residents.
Facility Operations and Purpose
The facility will be managed by the LaSalle Family Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of LaSalle Corrections, a private company that operates several immigration detention centers. Daily operations will be handled by Anovaeon, which describes itself as a humanitarian response company. Operators are referring to the facility as the Alexandria Family Staging Center and state it will house individuals voluntarily self-deporting or leaving the country, with an average stay of under 48 hours.
During a recent board meeting, Anovaeon CEO Eric Fritz stated the project is not a detention center but a staging center for individuals voluntarily departing the country, acknowledging the difficult circumstances they may face. Fritz added that the facility would offer medical and mental health care, meals, recreational facilities like soccer fields, and free international calling.
However, concerns have been raised about the nature of the facility. While a distributed pamphlet described it as a "non-detained" setting, Anovaeon's Senior Director of Operations, Jeffrey Lynch, acknowledged that ICE would be alerted if someone attempted to leave. Lynch explained that operators would communicate with ICE about such instances, with ICE officials located nearby to intervene or manage the situation.
A draft of the Intergovernmental Service Agreement between DHS and the EEIDD, obtained by the National Immigration Project, states one of the agreement's purposes is to provide "ICE alien detention in a secure environment under the authority of the Immigration and Nationality Act."
Opposition and Concerns
Immigrant rights groups and attorneys have publicly denounced the facility. Stephanie Alvarez-Jones, Southeast Regional Attorney for the National Immigration Project, stated, "There can be no hiding what this is, this is a detention center. People are not free to leave."
Concerns have also been raised about potential contamination of the property with PFAS chemicals. DHS, EEIDD, and Anovaeon have not responded to inquiries regarding contamination or whether individuals would be restrained during their stay or removal.
An ICE spokesperson described the facility as a "staging facility for deportations," clarifying that such centers are where individuals await deportation flights or transfer to detention facilities.