Defense OKs Fort Bliss site for 5,000-bed ICE deportation hub amid executive order push
On Monday, the Department of Defense announced Acquisition Logistics LLC, of Henrico, Virginia, was awarded a $231,878,229 firm-fixed-price contract to establish and operate a 5,000 capacity, single adult, short-term detention facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The contract comes on the heels of Presidential Executive Order 14159, which outlines using "national security assets for law and order."
"Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work will be performed in El Paso, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2027. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $231,878,229 were obligated at the time of the award," the contract overview states.
More on current legislation What is Dignity Act 2025? How will it change US immigration system?
Fort Bliss as a deportation hub
Acquisition Logistics LLC declined to comment on any current government contracts when contacted by the El Paso Times. Leticia Zamarippa, the spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also declined to comment on the construction.
Arturo Rodriguez, public affairs deputy for the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, noted the Department of Defense cleared the way for the use of the Fort Bliss land for immigration detention use four months ago.
"On March 28, 2025, the secretary of defense approved the use of Army land on Fort bliss, in El Paso County, Texas (Site Monitor), on a non-reimbursable basis, in order for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a holding facility to temporarily house specified illegal aliens," the statement said.
Rodriguez added "per the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso Field Office and U.S. Army Garrison Fort Bliss, the use of Fort Bliss parcel (Site Monitor) to expand ICE detention and removal operations is under Department of Homeland Security and ICE authority."
On Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported the contract was worth an estimated $1.26 billion with the Army providing the initial $232 million.
More on past protests Dozens join national 'Good Trouble' anti-Trump protest in El Paso
Plans by the White House would make the Fort Bliss location the largest deportation hub in the nation. The Trump administration has stated it has a goal of arresting one million illegal immigrants a year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a letter to Congress that the US Department of Homeland Security would use military bases in New Jersey and Indiana for immigration detention on a 'temporary' basis.
Trump had previously suggested that 30,000 immigrants could be detained at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Concerns about ICE facility oversight
The possibility of another, much larger, immigration detention center raises the question of adequate congressional oversight of such facilities.
On July 10, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar was turned away from carrying out an oversight visit at the Immigration and Customs processing facility on Montana Avenue, her office said in a news statement.
Escobar, D-El Paso, arrived at the El Paso facility Wednesday, July 9, in the afternoon, but she was blocked from entering.
'Today, after giving ICE 24 hours' notice, more than is required by law, I was turned away from the ICE facility on Montana Ave. where I planned to conduct my constitutionally authorized oversight duties," Escobar said in the statement. 'This facility has been plagued with accusations of mistreatment and inhumane conditions falling well within the scope of my congressional oversight authority."
The facility has space to hold nearly 900 people.
Escobar has regularly made oversight visits to ICE detention facilities in the El Paso area and elsewhere to learn if the conditions there meet legal and humane requirements. She visited the soft-sided facility on Highway 54 in June without any access problems.
More on other detention facilities ICE detention is growing in the South. This state was the first.
The Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem issued new requirements for congressional visits to ICE facilities, requiring at least 72 hours' notice in advance.
El Paso Times reporter Jeff Abbott contributed to this report.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Fort Bliss to host largest ICE detention center, deportation hub in US
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