U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar argued that La Tuna prison should not be closed as the U.S. government continues to pour money into a far East El Paso immigration detention center.
Escobar, D-El Paso, conducted an oversight visit to La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution on Thursday, Aug. 13, to see if the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons’ claims are true that the prison complex needs to be shut down because of infrastructure issues.
Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III claimed in July that the agency needed to close La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution, Federal Satellite Low and Satellite Camp in Anthony, Texas, because of the need to “address longstanding infrastructure and staffing challenges.”
There are infrastructure issues that need to be addressed, but the closure of the prison complex is not necessary and will result in hundreds of employees losing their jobs, Escobar said. The Bureau of Prisons has not released numbers on how many La Tuna employees will be laid off.
“I can share that there are infrastructure improvements that are necessary at La Tuna,” Escobar said in a statement. “We have infrastructure needs at nearly every federal facility — all over the country. I did not see evidence of why this facility needs to be shut down.
“We were told it would require $80 million of investment to fix HVAC, the roof and the plumbing. Meanwhile, for context, taxpayers are sending $1.24 billion to Camp East Montana, a tent city that still hasn’t met federal standards.”
Camp East Montana is a federal immigration detention center located in far East El Paso. More than 700 detainees were being held at the center in April. Escobar and other congressional leaders have voiced concerns about the center, especially the lack of medical care and the unsanitary conditions.
The U.S. government should focus on keeping La Tuna open, instead of spending taxpayer money on the migrant detention center, Escobar said.
“Budgets are about our values,” Escobar said. “My focus is retaining these jobs and making sure we address the needs here at La Tuna.”
The La Tuna prison complex houses 712 male inmates — 551 at the FCI and 161 at the Satellite Camp, according to Bureau of Prisons’ statistics. La Tuna FSL is “currently non-operational,” a July Bureau of Prisons’ news release stated. The prison complex is located at 8500 Doniphan Road in Anthony, Texas, in West El Paso County near the Texas-New Mexico state line.
The prison was built in 1932 and designed by El Paso architect Gustavus A. Trost, according to The Trost Society. He designed the prison in a Spanish Mission architectural style.
Along with La Tuna, the Bureau of Prisons said they were also closing:
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Escobar calls for DOJ to fix La Tuna to help save hundreds of jobs
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
