Alexandria Family Staging Center at England Airpark to Become Child Deportation Hub, Lasalle Family Foundation Says

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans a 528-bed staging facility at England Airpark in Alexandria, Louisiana, for people awaiting removal, including families with children and unaccompanied minors. The proposed site is not described as a children-only center.

The Alexandria Family Staging Center would occupy renovated former Air Force barracks. ICE has not provided an opening date, and the agency has not confirmed that the facility has begun receiving people.

The LaSalle Family Foundation, a nonprofit arm of LaSalle Corrections, is set to manage the center. Texas-based Anovaeon would handle daily operations. The foundation’s documented role is management; ICE has described the facility as a staging site for deportations.

ICE describes a stop before a flight or another detention site

A draft agreement between ICE and the England Economic and Industrial Development District identifies the intended residents as families with children, unaccompanied minors and single adult females awaiting removal. The board governing the airport approved the project in February.

The agreement describes a purpose of providing “ICE alien detention in a secure environment under the authority of the Immigration and Nationality Act.” ICE’s description focuses on the site’s role before a removal or transfer.

“A staging facility is where illegal aliens await their deportation flight to their destination country or transfer to a detention facility”

The planned center would be separate from an existing 400-bed facility on the airport tarmac for adult men. Unaccompanied children are usually held in shelters under the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. That office has said it is not involved in the Alexandria facility.

Anovaeon says the average stay would be under 48 hours. ICE and the operator have described a stay of up to 72 hours before a deportation flight, but the lease says actual stays depend on ICE’s operational requirements. If someone is not placed on a flight within that period, advocates say the person could be transferred to another ICE detention facility.

The operator calls departure voluntary, but ICE controls release

Anovaeon CEO Eric Fritz has described the center as a place for people voluntarily leaving the country. The operator also says people would receive medical care and other services while there. That description is disputed by advocates who question whether children facing removal can make a meaningful choice.

Anovaeon operations director Jeffrey Lynch said staff would contact ICE if an occupant tried to leave. Planning documents say families and children can be released only at ICE’s direction.

“If they were adamant about it, I think we would open the gate but at the same time we would be in communication with ICE, letting them know what's happening.”

The administration’s position is that some children choose departure to reunite with family. Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat from Oregon, warned that a child who sees no way out of detention may not experience “voluntary departure” as a real choice.

Residents and advocates question speed, oversight and conditions

At an October 26 interfaith vigil and walk, participants raised concerns about rapid removals and access to legal support. Kristin Kumpf, national coordinator for Free Families, said the site could make it easier to deport families and children more quickly, while reducing access to due process and legal help.

Immigrant rights groups and attorneys have also raised concerns about possible PFAS contamination at the property. England Airpark executive director Ralph Hennessy said the drinking water comes from the City of Alexandria and that officials were not concerned at that point.

The facility agreement is reported to provide about $535,000 in annual rent. Officials said the operation could create as many as 200 jobs. The plans also sit alongside a separate removal operation at the airport, where the existing facility holds adult men.

Families and children facing removal should seek case-specific advice from a qualified immigration attorney before agreeing to voluntary departure or signing documents. This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.