ICE To Open Alexandria Staging Center For Family And Child Deportations
ICE will open a 528-bed staging center for families and unaccompanied children at England Airpark near Alexandria International Airport after signing a contract in late June.[1] Officials say the site would hold people for up to 72 hours before removal flights, potentially speeding deportations of families and children.[1]
Contract records show ICE signed the agreement in late June, and local officials say the staging center could open as early as August.[1] The facility will be run by a nonprofit arm of private prison firm LaSalle Corrections rather than HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to the contract.[1]
The second Trump administration revived family detention in early 2025, reopening the Dilley and Karnes facilities. Department of Homeland Security planning documents outlined a hub-and-spoke model with eight large detention centers and 16 smaller regional processing centers for short stays ahead of transfers or removals. By March 2026, contractors proposed converting barracks at Alexandria's airport site to house families and unaccompanied children, a change planners said would cut long cross-country transports.
ICE conducted 225 removal flights in March 2026 and 245 in April 2026, figures that underline the scope of deportation air operations. Local reporters and social posts said the site would streamline collecting children from nationwide shelters and slot into Alexandria's existing role as an ICE Air deportation hub.
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant volume of unaccompanied children currently in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which stood at an average of 2,348 as of February 2026. This figure highlights the ongoing demand for facilities like the new staging center, which aims to streamline the deportation process for families and children. Additionally, while the summary notes the number of ICE removal flights, it does not provide context on the broader trend of deportations, which the Department of Homeland Security estimates has included over 675,000 formal deportations since January 2025, alongside 2.2 million self-deportations. This data underscores the scale of the operation that the new facility will support, as it is designed to facilitate rapid removals in line with the Trump administration's intensified enforcement policies.
Moreover, the summary frames the facility's establishment primarily as a logistical improvement, but it overlooks critical perspectives regarding the implications of such expansions in detention capacity. A 2026 analysis indicates that the increase in ICE arrests and detention capacity has led to a significant rise in deportation rates, particularly affecting non-criminal individuals. This context raises important questions about the humanitarian impact of these policies, which the mainstream account does not address.
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📊 Relevant Data
As of February 2026, the average monthly number of unaccompanied children in ORR care was 2,348.
ORR Data — Office of Refugee Resettlement via KIND report
ICE conducted 225 removal flights in March 2026 and 245 removal flights in April 2026.
ICE Flight Monitor reports — Human Rights First
The Department of Homeland Security estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 675,000 formal deportations since January 20, 2025.
DHS news release — Department of Homeland Security
📌 Key Facts
- ICE plans a 528-bed holding facility at England Airpark next to Alexandria International Airport in Alexandria, Louisiana.
- Contract records show ICE signed the agreement in late June 2026, and local officials say it could open as early as August 2026.
- The facility is intended as a 72-hour staging center for deportation flights and will be run by a nonprofit arm of private prison firm LaSalle Corrections rather than HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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