Former La Tuna employee raises concerns over federal prison’s closure and layoffs

ANTHONY, Texas (KVIA) -- A local person with knowledge of the operations at La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution, who asked to remain anonymous, is speaking out about the recent announcement that six Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities will close across the country, including the one in Anthony, Texas.

The former employee told ABC-7 that La Tuna needs approximately 250 staff members to be fully staffed; right now, he said, they have around 230.

The Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said earlier this month they are closing the facilities to address decades of deferred maintenance and extreme staffing challenges.

According to Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), the proper agencies in charge of these facilities go to the House to ask Representatives for funding every appropriations period.

"This is when they have the opportunity to be transparent with us about any plans that they might have, about any issues that they have and that is the normal part of the appropriations process," said Rep. Escobar. "After the appropriations process was complete and during which the Bureau of Prisons never said a word to me or to any of the appropriators as we were drafting our appropriations bills and providing them with money, never once did they inform us of their plan to shut down a number of prisons, including one that would impact El Paso constituents of mine who go to work and have devoted their lives to federal public service."

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