Two posters with the phone numbers for immigrant information hotlines are seen inside of barracks for law enforcement trainees turned into immigrant detention center at the Federal Law Enforcement Center (FLETC) in Artesia, N.M., Thursday, June 26, 2014. Federal officials say this federal training center that is home to the Border Patrol Academy that will become a 672-bed detention center for adult immigrants who entered the country illegally and are accompanied by children. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Llorca)
ARTESIA, New Mexico — A detention center being opened in New Mexico to deal with the surge in women and children caught crossing illegally into the U.S. from Central America will be focused on deporting the immigrants quickly, officials said Thursday.
During a media tour, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said the goal is to process the immigrants and have them returned to their homes within 10 to 15 days.
Artesia Mayor Phillip Burch said he was told by federal officials that the detention center will likely be in operation for six months to a year.
Last week, the Obama administration announced plans for several temporary sites to deal with the women and children fleeing gang violence and poverty in Central American.
Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 52,000 immigrant children crossing the border from Mexico alone since October.
The Artesia center will only house children caught traveling with their mothers or other female relatives. Unaccompanied minors will continue to be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The center will hold nearly 700 people in a barracks-style setting, with 30 rooms per building. Each of the three buildings will have one room as playground and one for medical staff.
The buildings have a refrigerator that will be stocked with water, milk and fruit so the children will be able to eat whenever they want. There will be toys, video games and televisions for the kids. And once a fence is erected, the children will be allowed to play outside. They may even build a soccer field, the official said.
Some have questioned the amenities, saying they will only encourage immigrants who are desperate for a better life to try to come back.
The federal agency said all the immigrants will be checked for criminal records, and that the officers who will do the interviews are trained to identify criminals.