ICE and its contractors call an Alexandria, Louisiana site for families and unaccompanied children a staging center; advocates call it child detention
ICE plans to hold families, unaccompanied children and adult women awaiting removal at a former barracks in Alexandria, Louisiana. ICE and the operators call it a staging center for voluntary departures; Sen. Ron Wyden and advocates call it child detention.
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Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
ICE plans to hold families, unaccompanied children and adult women awaiting removal at a 528-bed former barracks at England Airpark in Alexandria, Louisiana. ICE and the operators call it a staging center for voluntary departures; Sen. Ron Wyden and immigrant rights groups call it child detention.
Read the full background
England Airpark in Alexandria, Louisiana, is a former Air Force base that now holds Alexandria International Airport, a hub for deportation flights, and an existing ICE facility. In February 2026 the England Authority, the board that runs the airpark, approved leasing a former barracks and about 10 acres to the LaSalle Family Foundation, which is controlled by the founder of the private prison company LaSalle Corrections. Verite News reports that the five-year agreement, signed in early August, describes a temporary staging center to house families, unaccompanied children and adult women for voluntary removal.
ABC News reported on October 2 that the 528-bed site, which its operators call the Alexandria Family Staging Center, could start receiving people within a week or two. The operators say it will house people who are leaving the country voluntarily, for an average stay of under 48 hours. ABC also reports that a draft agreement between ICE and the airpark's governing district lists ICE detention in a secure environment among its purposes, and that an Anovaeon official said staff would alert ICE if someone tried to leave. It would be the first such site to hold unaccompanied minors, who are usually placed in shelters run under the Department of Health and Human Services.
Sen. Ron Wyden wrote to HHS in June that the facility would not serve the best interests of children in federal care. The National Immigration Project, the ACLU of Louisiana and local groups have asked the airpark board to cancel the contracts, citing PFAS contamination at the site and LaSalle's record at other facilities. ICE calls the site a staging facility for deportations. As of mid-October, Verite News reported that local residents had seen no sign that people were being held there.
People in this case
Ron WydenCommented
Timeline
5 timeline entries on this page. Dates: February 26, 2026 to October 16, 2026
February 2026
The England Authority board approves leasing airpark property to the LaSalle Family Foundation
Verite News reports that the airpark board approved the agreement at its February 26 meeting, after being told the partner would be the nonprofit LaSalle Family Foundation.
[01]Here's what we learned from the contract for the Alexandria ICE facility
Verite News reports on the cooperative endeavor agreement between the England Authority and the LaSalle Family Foundation, obtained through a public records request. It says the board approved the deal in February, that it was signed in early August with a newly registered for-profit company of that name, and that the agreement describes a temporary staging center to house families, unaccompanied children and adult women for voluntary removal.
June 2026
Wyden writes to HHS and Compass Connections about the planned Alexandria facility
Reaction
Wyden asks the HHS Administration for Children and Families and Compass Connections, which his release says is expected to operate the facility, about its design, safeguards against trafficking and access to legal counsel.
[02]Ron Wyden
The release announces Wyden's letters to Alex Adams, head of the HHS Administration for Children and Families, and to Compass Connections, which it says is expected to operate the planned facility. It quotes both letters, including Wyden's concerns about PFAS contamination at former military airfields and about housing children next to an airstrip used for deportation flights, and his questions about anti-trafficking safeguards and access to legal counsel.
Wyden presses the Trump administration on a facility being prepared for unaccompanied children in Alexandria, Louisiana · Ron WydenFull press release, June 4, 2026
July 2026
Advocates ask the England Authority board to stop the facility
Reaction
The National Immigration Project and Central Louisiana groups say residents asked the airpark board the evening before to stop the facility, and criticize a proposed resolution to restrict gatherings at the airpark.
[03]National Immigration Project
The National Immigration Project and Central Louisiana groups say that ICE plans to open a detention center for migrant families and unaccompanied children in Alexandria and that residents asked the England Authority board to stop it at a meeting the evening before. The release raises PFAS contamination at the site and the record of LaSalle Corrections, and quotes the group's executive director, Sirine Shebaya.
Central Louisiana community members call on the England Authority to reject a proposed new detention center · National Immigration ProjectFull press release, July 24, 2026
October 2026
ABC News reports the 528-bed site could open within a week or two
ABC News reports that the operators call it the Alexandria Family Staging Center for people leaving voluntarily, that a draft ICE agreement lists ICE detention among its purposes, and that ICE calls it a staging facility for deportations.
[04]ABC News
ABC News reports that a 528-bed facility at England Airpark in Alexandria will house families with children, unaccompanied minors and single adult women awaiting removal, citing a draft agreement between ICE and the airpark's governing district that describes ICE detention in a secure environment. It quotes the operators, who call it the Alexandria Family Staging Center for people leaving voluntarily, an Anovaeon official who says staff would alert ICE if someone tried to leave, a National Immigration Project attorney, and an ICE spokesperson's statement.
New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week · ABC NewsFull article, ABC News copy published by WDBOVerite News publishes the airpark's executed lease with the LaSalle Family Foundation
Source release
The agreement, obtained through a public records request, describes a temporary staging center to house families, unaccompanied children and adult women for voluntary removal, at about $2.84 million in rent over five years.
[01]Here's what we learned from the contract for the Alexandria ICE facility
Verite News reports on the cooperative endeavor agreement between the England Authority and the LaSalle Family Foundation, obtained through a public records request. It says the board approved the deal in February, that it was signed in early August with a newly registered for-profit company of that name, and that the agreement describes a temporary staging center to house families, unaccompanied children and adult women for voluntary removal.
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The Alexandria facility is a staging facility where people await their deportation flight to their destination country or transfer to a detention facility.
What is disputed
The operators say the site will house people leaving the country voluntarily for an average stay of under 48 hours. A draft agreement between ICE and the airpark's governing district, reviewed by ABC News, lists ICE detention in a secure environment among its purposes, and an Anovaeon official said staff would alert ICE if someone tried to leave.
Sources (1)
- New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week · ABC NewsFull article, ABC News copy published by WDBO
Disputed claim
National Immigration Project
The Alexandria facility is a detention center for families and children, and the people held there are not free to leave.
What is disputed
ICE calls the site a staging facility for deportations, and the operators call it the Alexandria Family Staging Center for people leaving the country voluntarily. The executed lease between the airpark and the LaSalle Family Foundation describes a temporary staging center for voluntary removal.
Sources (2)
- New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week · ABC NewsFull article, ABC News copy published by WDBO
- Central Louisiana community members call on the England Authority to reject a proposed new detention center · National Immigration ProjectFull press release, July 24, 2026
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
4 responses. Newest first.
U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementICE spokesperson, in a statement to ABC NewsDirectly involvedBefore this statement
ABC News reports that DHS did not respond to questions about possible contamination at the site or about whether people would be restrained, and that an ICE spokesperson called it a staging facility for deportations.
"A staging facility is where illegal aliens await their deportation flight to their destination country or transfer to a detention facility"
Challenged the characterizationResponding to: The Alexandria facility is a staging facility where people await their deportation flight to their destination country or transfer to a detention facility.
Full statement and sources
In a statement to ABC News, an ICE spokesperson calls the Alexandria site a staging facility for deportations, where people await their deportation flight or transfer to a detention facility.
After the statement
The ABC News report ends with the spokesperson's statement.
New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week · ABC NewsFull article, ABC News copy published by WDBOWhy this label?
The reference point is ICE's plan to hold families and unaccompanied children at the Alexandria site, which critics call detention. ICE describes the site as a staging facility where people await flights or transfer, which disputes that description of it.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
AnovaeonEric Fritz, CEO of Anovaeon, at an England Airpark board meeting, quoted by ABC News Before this statement
ABC News reports that operators of the facility have pushed back against the notion that it is a detention center during board meetings, and that Fritz made this remark at a commissioner board meeting the week before its report.
"This project right over here is not a detention center, it's a staging center for families who are voluntarily departing this country, admittedly through pretty crappy circumstances on their end."
Challenged the characterizationResponding to: The Alexandria facility is a staging facility where people await their deportation flight to their destination country or transfer to a detention facility.
Full statement and sources
Eric Fritz, CEO of Anovaeon, which ABC News says will run daily operations, tells an airpark board meeting that the project is a staging center for families leaving the country voluntarily, not a detention center.
After the statement
ABC News reports that Fritz said the facility will provide medical care, mental health care, meals, soccer fields and free international calling.
New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week · ABC NewsFull article, ABC News copy published by WDBOWhy this label?
The reference point is ICE's plan to hold families and unaccompanied children at the Alexandria site, which critics call detention. Fritz rejects the detention label and calls it a staging center for voluntary departures, which disputes how critics describe it.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
National Immigration ProjectStephanie Alvarez-Jones, Southeast regional attorney for the National Immigration Project, quoted by ABC News Before this statement
ABC News reports that at a press conference on Wednesday, immigrant rights groups and attorneys denounced the facility and raised concerns that the property was contaminated with PFAS.
"There can be no hiding what this is, this is a detention center. People are not free to leave"
CondemnedResponding to: The Alexandria facility is a detention center for families and children, and the people held there are not free to leave.
Full statement and sources
Stephanie Alvarez-Jones, a regional attorney for the National Immigration Project, says the Alexandria site is a detention center and that people held there are not free to leave.
After the statement
ABC News reports that DHS, the airpark district and Anovaeon did not respond when asked about possible contamination or whether people would be restrained during their stay or removal.
New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week · ABC NewsFull article, ABC News copy published by WDBOWhy this label?
The reference point is ICE's plan to hold families and unaccompanied children at the Alexandria site. The attorney says it is a detention center that people cannot leave, which condemns the plan as detention.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Ron WydenSenate Finance Committee ranking member, in a letter to HHSBefore this statement
The release says reports indicate DHS and the Office of Refugee Resettlement plan to use a former military barracks at the Alexandria airport as a short-term holding facility for families and unaccompanied children, next to an airstrip used for deportation flights.
"I do not believe that the design, implementation, and operation of this Alexandria facility will properly serve the best interests of children in ORR's care"
CondemnedResponding to: The Alexandria facility is a detention center for families and children, and the people held there are not free to leave.
Full statement and sources
In a letter to the head of the HHS Administration for Children and Families, Wyden says he does not believe the Alexandria facility will serve the best interests of children in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and raises PFAS contamination at former military airfields.
After the statement
Wyden writes that former military airfields are among the most PFAS-contaminated sites in the country and that the agency has the authority to refuse to place children in conditions that contravene its own child-welfare standards.
Wyden presses the Trump administration on a facility being prepared for unaccompanied children in Alexandria, Louisiana · Ron WydenFull press release, June 4, 2026Why this label?
The reference point is the federal plan to hold families and unaccompanied children at the Alexandria site. Wyden says it will not serve the best interests of children in federal care and questions the site's safety, which condemns the plan.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(4)
Reporting
New ICE facility to hold families, unaccompanied minors could open in Louisiana next week
Relevant passage: Full article, ABC News copy published by WDBO
About this source
ABC News reports that a 528-bed facility at England Airpark in Alexandria will house families with children, unaccompanied minors and single adult women awaiting removal, citing a draft agreement between ICE and the airpark's governing district that describes ICE detention in a secure environment. It quotes the operators, who call it the Alexandria Family Staging Center for people leaving voluntarily, an Anovaeon official who says staff would alert ICE if someone tried to leave, a National Immigration Project attorney, and an ICE spokesperson's statement.
- Author
- Armando Garcia, ABC News
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Central Louisiana community members call on the England Authority to reject a proposed new detention center
Relevant passage: Full press release, July 24, 2026
About this source
The National Immigration Project and Central Louisiana groups say that ICE plans to open a detention center for migrant families and unaccompanied children in Alexandria and that residents asked the England Authority board to stop it at a meeting the evening before. The release raises PFAS contamination at the site and the record of LaSalle Corrections, and quotes the group's executive director, Sirine Shebaya.
- Author
- National Immigration Project
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Here's what we learned from the contract for the Alexandria ICE facility
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Verite News reports on the cooperative endeavor agreement between the England Authority and the LaSalle Family Foundation, obtained through a public records request. It says the board approved the deal in February, that it was signed in early August with a newly registered for-profit company of that name, and that the agreement describes a temporary staging center to house families, unaccompanied children and adult women for voluntary removal.
- Author
- Robert Stewart, Verite News
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Wyden presses the Trump administration on a facility being prepared for unaccompanied children in Alexandria, Louisiana
Relevant passage: Full press release, June 4, 2026
About this source
The release announces Wyden's letters to Alex Adams, head of the HHS Administration for Children and Families, and to Compass Connections, which it says is expected to operate the planned facility. It quotes both letters, including Wyden's concerns about PFAS contamination at former military airfields and about housing children next to an airstrip used for deportation flights, and his questions about anti-trafficking safeguards and access to legal counsel.
- Author
- Senate Finance Committee ranking member's office
- Published
- Accessed
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- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- ICE and its contractors call an Alexandria, Louisiana site for families and unaccompanied children a staging center; advocates call it child detention
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/alexandria-louisiana-ice-family-staging-center
The Dispute Index. "ICE and its contractors call an Alexandria, Louisiana site for families and unaccompanied children a staging center; advocates call it child detention". First published: 2026-11-04. Last updated: 2026-11-04. https://disputeindex.com/cases/alexandria-louisiana-ice-family-staging-center