Tatiana Sanchez, The Desert Sun 12:23 p.m. PDT October 1, 2014

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in El Centro closed its doors Monday, as federal officials prepare to move into a larger, newly constructed facility in Calexico.

The Calexico center is expected to house up to 780 detainees — or 320 people more than El Centro's capacity. It also will house both men and women.

"The facility will be compliant with ICE's most recent detention standards," ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack told The Desert Sun in a statement Tuesday.

ICE did not immediately comment on how the move will impact the El Centro community. But local officials have expressed concern over the possibility that the change in locations will result in widespread layoffs.

The detention center on North Imperial Avenue — along with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility in El Centro — became a focal point of a heated national debate in July, when officials began transferring busloads of undocumented immigrants detained along the Texas border to stations in Southern California.

The federal transfers sparked outrage amongst communities throughout the region, and in particular the city of Murrieta, where protesters blocked buses from entering the city's Border Patrol station on July 1.

A contentious string of protests continued in Murrieta for several days, and busloads were quietly re-directed to an undisclosed station in San Diego.

The transfers were discontinued a few weeks later, although immigration officials said the decision did not come as a result of the protests.


The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has closed the detention center in El Centro. In this file photo, Department of Homeland Security buses are seen transporting migrant families into the area. (Photo: Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun )

ICE's new facility in Calexico will be leased and operated by Management and Training Corporation, a Utah-based contractor, according to Mack.

Their agreement with a previous contractor expired at the end of June.

The emailed statement ICE provided to The Desert Sun on Tuesday did not address local officials' concerns about possible layoffs.

The new facility, known as the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, is located on Highway 98 in Calexico.

It will comply with some of the newest national detention standards, which includes enhanced conditions of confinement.

"Such enhancements are in the line with the agency's detention reform principles," Mack said.

It will cost about $140 per detainee per day to operate at the Imperial County facility.

Detainees will have four daily hours of recreation in outdoor yards, allowing activities such as volleyball, soccer and basketball. They will also have daytime access to smaller outdoor recreation areas attached to their housing units.

Detainees will also have regular access to visitation with loved ones, and extended access to the facility's law library.

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