Inside ICE’s El Paso Processing Center; currently holding over 700 detainees

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Processing Center (EPC) is part of the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement Removal Operations, El Paso Field Office. It is a facility located right next to the El Paso International Airport.

The EPC's original buildings were constructed in 1966, with modernized processing (intake/release), dining, medical, and laundry facilities built between 1966 and 1998, and other modernizations set to start later this year until the start of Fiscal Year 2026.

This Processing Center can house up to 840 individuals made up of both adult male and female ICE detainees.

Detainees are housed at the EPC upon pending removal proceedings before an immigration judge, are pending an asylum screening/interview by an U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer, or are pending removal coordination to their country of citizenship.

"So nationwide, the asylum cases that are approved are probably a little less than 10%, nationwide asylum cases that are denied are more like 90%. Unfortunately, most of the individuals that are seeking asylum will not be granted asylum," said the Director of the El Paso Field Office for ICE Mary De Anda-Ybarra.

Director De Anda-Ybarra also said, most of the individuals that are going into their custody are for economic reasons. That's why of of their asylum requests are denied.

ICE has had individuals with proper documentation before processing, but others will use aliases and federal authorities are not aware of that until it's time to remove them.

The El Paso Field Office does not have families in any of its four processing centers anymore.

"We also have commercial removals. Besides having diplomatic relations with Mexico to be able to return them here through the land border, we also are working right now for interior repatriation."

"The Otero Processing Center has one flight that leaves every Tuesday to be able to repatriate individuals who are from the interior of Mexico back into the interior."

Director De Anda-Ybarra also said each country has to accept their deportees back into the country. This means individuals need to either issue a passport or a valid travel document before being turned over.

The average number of days an individual stays at the EPC is about 66 days if they are noncriminals. If they are criminals that ICE chooses to keep in custody, they keep them longer; it could be up to a year or more sometimes.