McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials tell Border Report that additional soft-sided processing facilities are being shut down elsewhere in South Texas and Arizona.
The facilities being closed are located in Laredo, and Tucson, CBP officials said Tuesday.
Only two of eight soft-sided tent facilities will remain open on the Southwest border. That includes facilities built in El Paso and San Diego, Border Report has learned.
A flag-lowering ceremony was held Monday to close a migrant processing tent facility in the Rio Grande Valley.
The reason is an overwhelming drop in border encounters of migrants since President Donald Trump took office in January.
“Due to the unprecedented drop in apprehensions of illegal aliens as a result of the president’s recent executive actions, CBP is reducing the number of temporary, soft-sided processing facilities where illegal aliens have been held in specific locations along the southwest border. CBP no longer has a need for them as illegal aliens are being quickly removed,” a CBP spokesperson told Border Report.
The tent facility in Tucson was opened in April 2021. The facility about 20 miles southeast of Laredo, near the small town of Rio Bravo, was built in September 2021, CBP officials said.
The Laredo facility was among the last of eight soft-sided tent facilities built along the Southwest border to alleviate the backlog of migrants held in brick and mortar processing facilities, which became over run with asylum-seekers during the Biden administration.
The Laredo facility was designed to hold 1,500 people and accepted migrants who were arrested in Yuma, Arizona, El Paso, Eagle Pass, the Rio Grande Valley and even Miami, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, previously told Border Report.
But since Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump took office, the number of migrants encountered on the border has been at historic lows.
That includes a 78% drop in migrants encountered in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, and an 80% drop in migrants encountered in the Del Rio Sector in January from January 2024, CBP reports.
The Del Rio Sector includes the border town of Eagle Pass, where thousands of migrants were apprehended during the Biden administration. Although CBP opened a tent facility in Eagle Pass, many were also sent to the Laredo tent facility for processing because resources were overwhelmed in Eagle Pass.
“This debt decline is a direct result of the policies enacted by the administration where consequences for illegal entry exist and are being applied every day. This debt decline in illegal migration between the ports of entry allows us to redirect our manpower and our resources toward towards our primary mission of border security, enhancing our frontline operations. This is a step in the right direction, one that empowers our agents and enhances our overall operational efficiency and effectiveness,” Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Chief Gloria Chavez said at a flag-lowering ceremony held Monday in the border town of Donna.
A CBP spokesperson says “The U.S. Border Patrol has full capability to manage the detention of apprehended aliens in USBP’s permanent facilities.”
The Donna facility was one of the largest operating on the Southwest border and processed over 611,000 migrants since opening in 2021. That included 223,000 children who crossed the border unaccompanied by an adult, and nearly 360,000 families with children, Chavez said.
“I am optimistic about our future as we continue to implement President Trump’s robust border security policies, creating a powerful deterrent against illegal entries between our ports of entry, while investing in enhanced enforcement measures to make our border more safe and more secure,” Chavez said.
CBP says manpower that had been used at the temporary processing facilities “will be redirected toward other priorities and will speed CBP’s progress in gaining operational control over the Southwest border.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@Borderreport.com.