Texas Closes Immigration Booking Facility Amid Low Border Crossings

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the closure of a jail booking facility in Jim Hogg County due to a significant decrease in immigrant encounters at the Southwest border, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting less than 300 daily apprehensions as of February. The facility, which opened in 2022 as part of Abbott's Operation Lone Star initiative to process immigrants arrested for border-related crimes, will officially close next month. Abbott stated that the state no longer needs the facility for its intended purpose and has offered it to the Trump administration for federal border operations. This decision aligns with recent federal actions, as CBP also closed a temporary processing facility in Eagle Pass. The closure reflects a broader trend of declining immigration enforcement needs in the region.