Full Breakdown
ICE Expands Detention Capacity at Louisiana Airfield and Arizona Airport Site
By Drooid · · How we work
Louisiana Expansion at England Airpark
A 528-bed facility for immigrant children and families is slated to open within two to three weeks at England Airpark, the Alexandria International Airport complex in Louisiana. The site repurposes renovated Air Force barracks and adds prefabricated structures for intake, medical care and other services. Local officials who toured the location said the new center will more than double the existing detention capacity on the airport’s tarmac, which currently holds 400 adult men awaiting removal. Human Rights First, a nonprofit that tracks deportation flights, notes that roughly 30 % of all U.S. deportation flights depart from Alexandria, with 579 flights recorded from January through August and an expected total of 657 for 2025.
Arizona Contract for a New Marana Facility
Management & Training Corporation (MTC), a Utah-based private prison firm, signed a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September 2026 to operate a 775-bed detention center near the Marana Regional Airport. MTC announced that the facility will employ about 338 full-time staff and is expected to begin operations within two months. The land, a former minimum-security prison that held roughly 500 male inmates, was purchased by MTC in July 2025 after the state ended its contract with the firm for financial reasons.
Official Statements & Responses
Local officials in Louisiana confirmed that intake, medical and other personnel are already on site and that the expansion aligns with the region’s role as a major deportation hub.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We don't have any official notice of anything, but the work is happening,” — Bennett Burke, PRICE member
- “We aren’t done fighting this thing. Not by a long shot,” — Kristin Downing, PRICE member