New migrant facility set to open in Tornillo this week

U.S. Customs and Borders Protection announced Wednesday morning the opening of new temporary facilities for migrants this week.

CBP said an additional facility in Tornillo will open on Friday. A new facility in Donna, Texas, already opened Monday, according to immigration authorities.

Together, both facilities can hold up to 4,500 adults, according to officials. CBP said the structures are weatherproofed, climate-controlled and include services to accommodate the needs of migrants

“The additional capacity of these critical structures provides much-needed help during the crisis,” Border Patrol Division Chief Lloyd Easterling said in a news release. “Unfortunately, we are filling these facilities as soon as they are constructed.”

CBP said it has plans for a more permanent solution along the border, including new sites in El Paso and Yuma, Arizona.

Officials said the permanent facilities will create more space for families, increasing capacity by 1,800 people.

The agency also said it will renovate an existing facility in McAllen, Texas, to ensure it is equipped to support Border Patrol agents and incoming migrants with all of the resources and services provided in the newest structures.

CBP said that between May and August it has built six temporary steel-framed structures to address the ongoing need for space to accommodate the massive influx of migrants the border has seen in recent months.

A previous tent facility in Tornillo that housed unaccompanied teen migrants closed in January after months of controversy.