ICE eyes Clint for future detention facilities; Congresswoman Escobar speaks out against plan

Update (3:28 PM): El Paso's Congresswoman Veronica Escobar is commenting on ICE's possible new detention facilities in El Paso County. Escobar says that a private corporation received an almost $30 million federal contract to design more detention space for El Paso county. Escobar says that includes another facility in El Paso.

"Donald Trump and Republicans have been using American taxpayer funds to enrich these private corporations that are responsible for Trump’s mass deportation efforts, including the corporation operating Camp East Montana that limits adequate oversight, has become increasingly fatal, and does not meet minimum standards for detaining human beings," Escobar stated.

Escobar also expressed her desire for the existing facility, Camp East Montana, to be shut down. Camp East Montana has had three detainees die over the past few months.

“The $170 billion in funding for these corporate-run tent cities comes from the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’ This Republican law cut healthcare and nutrition programs for hard-working Americans in order to give the wealthiest Americans massive tax breaks and fund these tent cities and the gestapo-like tactics we are seeing across the country that target U.S. citizens and legal residents," Escobar said.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- In response to ABC-7's question about the federal purchase of land near Clint, the Department of Homeland Security says the area will be used for future detention facilities. An ICE spokesperson added that the department is not announcing new detention centers at this time.

"These will not be warehouses — they will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards," the ICE spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also brought up ICE's recent efforts to detain undocumented migrants the federal government has deemed dangerous. Read the spokesperson's full statement below:

“These will not be warehouses — they will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards. Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space. ICE is targeting the worst of the worst including murderers, rapists, criminals, gang members and more. 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities. We have no new detention centers to announce at this time."

ICE Spokesperson