Fox News found out that ICE will likely close a facility in Adelanto, CA, that could hold 2,000 illegal immigrants.
Adelanto, CA, is located in the 23rd District. It occupies San Bernardino County and is mostly in the Mojave Desert.
The center is 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The facility has remained mostly empty since the COVID pandemic:
ICE was blocked by a September 2020 court order from sending more detainees to the privately-operated facility after a lawsuit demanding fewer detainees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was then near its peak.But that order is still in place, despite the COVID-19 emergency declaration having ended earlier this year and similar facilities — including in the area — having expanded capacity. While able to house nearly 2,000 detainees, only a handful of immigrants live there.
ICE won’t confirm the information Fox received from sources:
“As part of routine strategic operational planning, ICE continually assesses various factors when contemplating whether to enter new contracts for facilities or terminate existing facility contracts. Discussions with detention providers, including state and local partners, are critical to ICE’s custody management mission and occur on a regular basis,” aspokesperson said.”Significant agency changes/updates are publicly announced when operationalized. ICE continuously reviews and enhances civil detention operations to ensure noncitizens are treated humanely, protected from harm, provided appropriate medical and mental health care, and receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled,” they said. ” ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously.”
Rep. Jay Obernolt (R-CA) has led the charge since he discovered that ICE rarely uses the facility.
The news of the possible closure infuriated Obernolt:
“At a time when our communities are suffering historic levels of illegal immigrants overwhelming our social services safety nets and our local law enforcement authorities to the point that they have been forced to use taxpayer resources to hold them in hotels, prisons and other detention housing alternative, it is unacceptable that the Adelanto facility has been so underutilized,” he said in a letter this week.
The news comes a few days after the border patrol literally asked agents across the country to help virtually process the people crossing the southern border.
The massive surge at the southern border has led to the suspension of vehicle processing, the closing of checkpoints, and the pulling of personnel from entry points.
The Tucson Sector had over 2,800 illegal crossings on Monday. The number is not shocking because the sector averages 2,000 to 2,500 illegal crossings every day.
The surge is why sector Chief John Modlin announced a pause in the sector’s social media posts. He promised they would still post its Week in review.
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