The government is considering ending a practice of using a Texas facility to house illegal migrant families as their legal cases play out in the court system, according to a new report.
The Washington Post reported Thursday officials at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are looking at using the Karnes County Residential Center to hold single adults up for deportation instead of families, citing three Department of Homeland Security officials.
The Post noted ICE has two large facilities in south Texas to hold families who illegally enter the United States. The Karnes County location, which is owned and operated by the private company GEO Group, currently holds 528 people.
The families are eventually released into the U.S. and given a court date, orders they are expected to follow.
ICE spokesperson Danielle Bennett told the Post, "Ensuring there are sufficient beds available to meet the current demand for detention space is crucial to the success of ICE's overall mission. Accordingly, the agency is continually reviewing its detention requirements and exploring options that will afford ICE the operational flexibility needed to house the full range of detainees in the agency's custody."
The Trump administration came under fire last year for separating families when they illegally entered the U.S. The practice was eventually rolled back, although some children are still being held separate from the adults with whom they crossed the border.
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