Detention center for immigrants proposed in Caldwell County
No decision yet by commissioners; public hearings to be held.

By Suzannah Gonzales
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

A company that manages three correctional facilities in Texas is proposing to build a detention center in Caldwell County for immigrants awaiting deportation.

Emerald Correctional Management LLC pitched the idea to county commissioners Monday. The commissioners will vote after holding public hearings on the matter.

The $30 million, 1,000-bed facility would be built in northeastern Caldwell County, an area of small, rural communities, said Mike Moore, director of business development at Louisiana-based Emerald. Money to construct the center would come from private sources.

The facility would serve as a staging area for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Moore said. Adult men and women would be housed separately, he said, and no children or families would be held at the center.

Moore said federal immigration officials in San Antonio told him that the agency needs a 1,000-bed facility within a 30-minute drive of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and of Interstate 35.

"Caldwell County is a perfect place," he said.

Nina Pruneda, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, would not comment on specific plans.

"ICE as an agency is constantly reviewing its need for additional detention capacities," Pruneda said. "We are never opposed to hearing from the private sector on the potential for capacity additions. However, no such discussions have taken place in any meaningful sense."

The proposed facility would have a $4 million to $5 million annual payroll and generate 200 to 225 jobs in Caldwell County and an additional 200 jobs for the larger economic region, Moore said.

"I think it's a great proposal," said County Commissioner Joe Roland, whose Precinct 4 would host the facility. "It's a lot of money in Caldwell County that we didn't have."

The facility would be between Lytton Springs and Dale in an area with two stores and one post office, Roland said. There might be four or five homes within a 2-mile radius of the proposed location, he said, but he couldn't think of any house within a mile of it.

"There's nothing out there. (It's) sparsely populated," Roland said. "I don't see it doing any harm to anybody."

If commissioners approve the deal, Emerald would transfer detainees at the request of immigration officials and manage the center, Moore said. Emerald operates facilities in La Salle, Hudspeth and Haskell counties, all of which hold some immigrants.

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