EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) will tour a newly constructed migrant detention facility going up along Montana Avenue, located at Fort Bliss, later Monday. The facility, operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is set to open later this month and is expected to play a critical role in the U.S. government’s response to illegal immigration at the southern border.
Cornyn will receive a “windshield tour” of the facility, followed by a briefing from ICE officials on its operations and a Fort Bliss update from General Curtis Taylor. The tour will provide the Senator a first-hand look at the facility’s capabilities and infrastructure.
After the tour and briefings, Cornyn will address members of the media at the Fort Bliss Buffalo Soldier Gate at 2:30 p.m.
KTSM 9 News will be at the media briefing and will live stream Cornyn’s remarks. You can watch it live here on KTSM.com.
The new ICE migrant processing and detention center that’s being called the “largest immigration facility” in the U.S. is one of several measures President Donald Trump has taken to manage migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The facility at Fort Bliss is scheduled to begin operating on Sunday, August 17. According to ICE officials, it will accommodate up to 1,000 people in immigration removal procedures. By 2027, federal officials expect the center to expand to 5,000 beds.
Cornyn has been involved in border security discussions, advocating for both increased security measures and more resources for border enforcement.
Last month, he called for Texas to create its own “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility.
Cornyn chaired a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing on July 24 and delivered about 12 minutes of opening remarks, in which he talked about “misinformation” and “false narratives” being spread about immigrants, his opinion on the importance of immigration enforcement, and praised the state of Florida for its immigration enforcement efforts.
“The State of Florida has stepped up to the plate recently, helping the administration to open a detention facility that’s come to be known as Alligator Alcatraz,” he said. “I’m hopeful that other states will step up to help in similar ways.”
More details are expected to emerge following the briefing and tour.
Editor’s Note: KXAN contributed to this report.
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