The Trump administration has announced plans to open a 528-bed holding facility for migrant families and unaccompanied children near Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana. The facility, located at a former military base roughly 175 miles northwest of New Orleans, is intended to serve as a 72-hour holding center to expedite deportations.

This new center aims to address logistical challenges previously faced by authorities, such as the difficulty of managing children from foster homes and shelters scattered across the country during final deportation preparations. Last year, Guatemalan children were reportedly awakened at night and rushed to Harlingen, Texas, where they waited on an airport tarmac for hours before a federal judge halted their deportation.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) describes the Alexandria facility as a "staging area," not a detention center, emphasizing that migrants would only be held there for a few days at most. In 2025, more than 4,400 immigration enforcement flights operated through Alexandria International Airport, which has become the nation’s largest hub for deportation flights, according to data from the ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First.

However, concerns have been raised about the expansion of the deportation system. Leecia Welch, chief legal counsel at the nonprofit Children’s Rights, stated, “It’s an expansion of the deportation system in ways we haven’t seen before. There’s just so much that could go wrong with this facility.”

Additionally, the nearby Winn Correctional Center was found in June to have violated standards related to environmental health and safety, food service, use-of-force, and medical care, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.

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