City to sell CBP 60 acres of land to build new processing center in northeast El Paso
EL PASO, Texas -- ABC-7 has learned U.S. Customs and Border Protection intends to buy almost 60 acres of land from the city of El Paso to build a central processing center, much like the one the agency currently has near Hondo Pass.
This purchase comes at a time when CBP saw unprecedented numbers of undocumented migrants trying to either enter the U.S. or seek asylum during fiscal year 2021.
According to El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, this is actually a project that carried over from the Trump Administration with CBP buying land for central processing centers to meet the needs of large numbers of migrants coming to our borders.
City spokeswoman Laura Cruz-Acosta told ABC-7 the federal government approached the city last December.
"The proposed land sale is the result of a more than year-long process undertaken by the federal government to identify a suitable location for a new centralized processing facility that will provide a safe and clean temporary shelter for migrants arriving at our borders after what is often a difficult and dangerous journey,." she said in a statement.
The 59-acre northeast El Paso chunk of land near Mesquite Hill Dr. that city leaders will discuss selling to CBP carries a price tag of $1.6 million. The public hearing and vote are scheduled for December 7.
