ISTANBUL

The Trump administration will open the nation's largest immigration detention center at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas, under a $1.26 billion contract.

The US Department of Defense announced Monday that it awarded nearly $232 million to Virginia-based Acquisition Logistics LLC to build and operate a 5,000-bed tent city on the military base set to open by September 2027, Bloomberg reported.

Although Acquisition Logistics appears to have no prior detention experience, it earlier received over $5 million from the US Army for lodging and conference services related to border operations conducted earlier this year.

Due to overcrowding from its goal to detain over 1 million immigrants a year, the Trump administration is rushing to add detention space beyond usual jails and prisons.

Earlier, the administration opened a tent facility in a Florida swamp, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” which has faced criticism over detainees' health conditions.

According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, immigrants held in three federal detention centers in Florida endure inhumane conditions such as abuse, medical neglect, severe overcrowding, freezing cells without bedding, and insufficient hygiene supplies.

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has intensified immigration crackdowns, increasing both detention and deportations as part of its enforcement agenda.