Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson opened on Monday what is being labeled the U.S.’ largest detention center for families who enter the country illegally.
The South Texas Family Residential Center, located on the grounds of a former camp for oil workers in Dilley, Texas, can house up to 2,400 people and will primarily be used for women and children, according to Reuters. It features dozens of small cabins to accommodate detained families along with medical facilities, a school and a playground.
The facility will mainly be managed by the Corrections Corporation of America and cost $296 per person per day to operate, according to an official from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency who attended the opening.
Johnson made use of the occasion to lambast Republicans in Congress for not fully funding the department he oversees. “If Congress is interested with me in supporting the border security measure we are outlining here today,” Johnson added, “it should act immediately on our budget request for fiscal 2015.”
[Reuters]
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Fight to Free Evan Gershkovich
- Meet the 2024 Women of the Year
- John Kerry's Next Move
- The Quiet Work Trees Do for the Planet
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Column: The Internet Made Romantic Betrayal Even More Devastating
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com