CBP to Open Temporary Facility in Response to Sustained Large Volumes of Family Units in Yuma, AZ

U.S. Border Patrol completed a new temporary facility in Yuma, AZ last week. It was established in response to the strain on resources and facilities due to unprecedented numbers of family units illegally crossing the border.

Construction of the facility began Saturday, June 15, as part of the ongoing response to the current border security and humanitarian crisis along the Southwest Border.

Temporary facilities like this one were previously opened in Donna and El Paso, Texas to help with the overflow of migrants. They successfully addressed the challenges of providing care for family units in custody.

The temporary, soft-sided facility will accommodate up to 500 individuals in U.S. Border Patrol custody while they await transfer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Refugee Resettlement. The temporary structures are weatherproof and climate-controlled for eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene.

The contract, just under $15 million, provides showers, toilets and sinks, laundry trailers, sleeping mats, kitchen equipment, personal property storage boxes, office space, interior and perimeter closed circuit television, lockers, security, power, HVAC services, food, snacks, water, and custodial services.

In addition to the temporary facility in Yuma, CBP recently expanded the existing temporary facility in Donna to accommodate an additional 500 people.

The temporary facility is near the CBP Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge in Donna, Texas. The facility will be able to hold up an additional 500 people and will remain open pending any changes in the volume of people arriving at the ports of entry or crossing the border between the ports in the South Texas area until they are released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

CBP will process the Unaccompanied Alien Children and Family Units and once processing is complete, CBP will transfer them over to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS-ORR) or ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) respectively.

CBP is continuing to work with other federal and international agencies to discourage potential illegal border crossers from embarking on the dangerous trip to enter the U.S. illegally. Family Units are easy prey for coyotes and transnational criminal organizations and they can be subjected to robbery, violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking or forced labor.