Rep. Williams Tours CBP Processing Center at Southern Border

Press Release

Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) visited Custom and Border Patrol's (CBP) Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center (CPC) to see the newly renovated and reopened facility.

"Today I saw firsthand the reality of President Biden's open-border agenda," said Congressman Williams. "While our dedicated men and women of CBP are working diligently to address the surge in illegal migration, the polices of this Administration encourage illegal crossings and weakens our immigration system. Our border crisis continues to worsen every month and it is imperative CBP has the resources and facilities to process the large surge of migrants. Further, ending Title 42, as President Biden is attempting to do, would dramatically increase the flow of illegal immigrants into our country and exacerbate the crisis. While this facility will have a lasting impact for the CBP, it should not be forgotten that this crisis could be prevented if President Biden visited the border for himself and took action to stop the surge."

Background:

The Rio Grande CPC is currently processing about 10,000 apprehensions a week and they are only seeing an increase every week. Just in the Rio Grande Section alone they had 326,522 apprehensions. Approximately 40% of their apprehensions qualify for Title 42 and are returned to their home country on roughly 17 flights a week.

The facility closed for renovations in October 2020 and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) oversaw the modernization of the 77,000 square foot facility. Renovations include the removal of chain link fencing, installation of a permanent HVAC system to provide cleaner air and a climate-controlled environment and improved personal hygiene stations and shower facilities. USACE completed the renovation with nearly $30 million in funding from the Fiscal Year 2019 Emergency Supplemental appropriation designated for these improvements. The renovation improved CBP's ability to process migrants apprehended at the border in a safe and humane manner.

Source