EXCLUSIVE: Sheltering Costs for Rising Numbers of Migrants Hits $7M/Month in Arizona Border Sector

TUCSON, Arizona — According to a source within CBP, the cost to accommodate the recent spike in migrant encounters in the Tucson Border Patrol Sector is rising rapidly as existing processing facilities reach their capacity. With an operating cost of nearly $7 million each month, one facility in Tucson is undergoing an expansion project to double its capacity to hold migrants. The cost to operate the facility, according to the source, will double as well.

On Sunday, Breitbart Texas observed the construction project to expand the 80,000-square-foot processing center located at 4550 East Los Reales Road in Tucson, Arizona, erected in 2021. The facility was initially designed to accommodate 500 migrants but exceeded its capacity in recent months due to an increase in migrant crossings in the area, according to the source. The initial contract to operate the facility was in excess of $100 million and has been extended to include the current expansion intended to avoid further overcrowding.

The facility is one of two being operated by the Border Patrol in the state of Arizona. The contractor overseeing the expansion in Tucson is Miami-based Logistic Events Corp. As Breitbart Texas looked on, construction crews were continuing to erect the soft-sided structure as materials arrived. The source says the enhancement created a need for some parts of the facility to rely on diesel generators to accommodate the increased demand for electrical power.

In August, Border Patrol Agents in the Tucson sector apprehended nearly 49,000 migrants according to unofficial reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas. The number is a more than 160 percent jump from the 18,506 apprehended in August of 2022. The Tucson Sector, according to the unofficial report, led all other southwest border sectors in migrant encounters. Since October, more than 322,000 migrants have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents in the Tucson area, up from 230,000 for the same timeframe in 2022.

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The increase in migrant crossings is also impacting costs incurred by non-government shelters that receive the released migrants and coordinate travel to the interior of the United States. Most of the expenses to accommodate the migrants are eventually reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to the source.

Breitbart Texas traveled to several Tucson area non-government shelters operated by Casa Alitas — a program of the Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona. One facility Breitbart Texas visited on Sunday is operated in a vacant juvenile detention facility. Like the Border Patrol Processing Center, the facility has faced capacity issues necessitating the opening of another shelter several miles away due to the increasing number of migrants being released into the United States.

At Casa Alitas, Breitbart Texas spoke to one Venezuelan migrant who says his stay has been comfortable, but he is ready to leave. Enrique says he has been at the facility for more than a month after being allowed to enter the United States using the CBP-One application. He is departing for Chicago in less than a week and will be traveling with his wife and small child. Despite not having legal work authorization, Enrique says he quickly found employment in the Tucson area performing landscaping work and will do the same when he arrives in Chicago.

To combat the capacity issue at Enrique’s shelter, the Casa Alitas shelter system opened an additional facility on Drexel Road, near Interstate 19 just a few miles to the south. According to a KGUN news report, the Drexel Road facility opened in December 2022 at an initial six-month lease price of $330,000 provided to Pima County by FEMA. On Sunday, volunteer workers were observed moving in and out of the facility designed to hold mostly non-Spanish-speaking adult males.

As migrant encounters reached nearly 1,700 per day in recent weeks, the cost to process, feed, and provide shelter within the Tucson area will likely remain high, the source concluded.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.