A new 528-bed facility designed to house immigrant children and families awaiting deportation is nearing completion at England Airpark, adjacent to Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana. Local officials who recently toured the site expect it to open within two to three weeks. The facility, converted from former Air Force barracks and supplemented with prefabricated structures, represents a significant expansion of the airport’s existing deportation operations.
Currently, Alexandria serves as a major hub for immigration enforcement, with about 30 percent of all U.S. deportation flights departing from the airport. The site has a 400-bed facility primarily for adult men, but the new center will more than double the capacity, accommodating families and children as they await removal from the United States. From January to August, 579 deportation flights left Alexandria; projections indicate that this number could increase to over 650 by the end of the year.
The new facility is part of a broader network of at least nine immigration detention centers across Louisiana, most operated by private prison companies under federal contracts. The LaSalle Family Foundation, affiliated with LaSalle Corrections—which runs other detention centers in the state—will manage the site. Daily operations will be conducted by Anovaeon, a Texas-based contractor providing medical and support staff. According to Anovaeon’s president, the facility will have 45 clinical workers onsite, with nurses available around the clock. Detainees are expected to receive three meals daily, including accommodations for religious and medical dietary needs, as well as access to Spanish-language television, video games, and free international calls.
Local authorities emphasize the facility’s role as a “staging area” to expedite deportations rather than a long-term detention center. David Broussard, deputy director of England Airpark, described the project as a “humanitarian effort” and characterized it as a family center intended to assist those voluntarily departing the U.S. The England Authority Board of Commissioners approved the intergovernmental agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the contract with LaSalle earlier this year, leasing the property for approximately $535,000 annually.
Despite these assurances, the facility has encountered opposition from community members, immigrant advocates, and child welfare experts. Among their concerns are the potential psychological trauma to children, risks of prolonged detention despite claims of temporary holding, and health hazards related to possible contamination from "forever chemicals" (PFAS), which have been detected in the area. Pat McGinty, a local resident who opposes the project, voiced objections to detaining children and families together, calling instead for migrants to undergo legal processes within the U.S. judicial system.
Critics also point to a lack of transparency surrounding DHS’s contract and the operational details of the facility. Historical examples of controversial temporary immigrant housing—including a large tent city in Tornillo, Texas, during the Trump administration and emergency intake sites at Fort Bliss in early 2021—have raised concerns about conditions inside such centers. While those previous facilities focused on processing migrants entering the country, the Louisiana facility’s primary function is to streamline deportations for families and children.
As construction nears completion, officials state that the center currently houses no residents but expects to begin receiving individuals in the near future. It will feature amenities such as playgrounds, soccer fields, and indoor areas for inclement weather, aiming to provide a more supportive environment during detentions. Meanwhile, discussions continue regarding the appropriate balance between immigration enforcement and the welfare of detained families.