TORNILLO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today opened the Tornillo-Guadalupe Temporary Holding Center in Texas as a temporary facility to provide additional capacity for family units and unaccompanied children along the Southwest border. The temporary facility can hold up to 500 people and provides additional space for those in CBP custody awaiting transfer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detention and/or removal, or to the Department of Health and Human Services.
“As part of securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws, CBP is committed to treating all people in our facilities humanely,” said the El Paso Field Office Director Hector Mancha. “CBP’s officers and agents are rising to this challenge with professionalism while maintaining efficient border operations.”
CBP, assisted by onsite contractors, will ensure the basic needs of those in CBP custody are met. CBP will monitor and assess the need to expand the facilities regularly and is prepared to add housing, beds, toilets, and bathing facilities as needed.
CBP continues to work with other federal agencies and international groups to discourage people from embarking on the dangerous trip to enter the United States illegally. Children, especially, are easy prey for coyotes and transnational criminal organizations and they can be subjected to robbery, violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking or forced labor.
“Our message to people thinking about crossing our borders illegally remains: Don’t risk your lives,” said El Paso Sector Chief Jeffrey Self. “Smugglers are not your friends. Don’t put your lives in their hands.”