The Trump administration is set to expand immigration detention operations at a site inside a rural Louisiana airport, with plans for a short-term facility to hold migrant families and unaccompanied children before deportation. The proposed centre, located at the Alexandria international airport complex, will confine individuals for three to five days in converted military barracks, according to the project’s lead contractors.
Local airport officials confirmed that lease agreements with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are close to being signed, and the facility could be operational within 60 to 90 days. The centre will be run by the non-profit arm of private corrections company LaSalle and Texas-based childcare non-profit Compass Connections. The airpark’s deputy director described it as a “humanitarian effort”.
The facility will be situated next to an existing adult detention centre operated by Geo Group, which has faced allegations of due process violations and poor conditions. The lease for the new site includes an annual rent of more than $535,000, funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which allocates over $170bn for immigration enforcement. The local board of commissioners approved the lease almost unanimously.
Advocates have questioned the claim that only those seeking voluntary self-deportation will be held, arguing it is a detention centre in all but name. The airpark’s executive director dismissed concerns, saying the project is a “done deal” and that some migrants “don’t want to go home”. DHS did not respond to requests for comment. The expansion comes amid a surge in detention numbers, with over 68,000 people currently detained.
