The Dolph Briscoe Unit, a state prison in Southern Texas, was recently emptied of over 1,000 prisoners to make room for migrants facing, but not convicted of, state charges. The empty prison is currently being staffed by nearly 150 guards, despite Texas’ prison system being dangerously understaffed. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has not made much clear in terms of when or how the facility will be fashioned into a migrant jail, and the prison is currently in a state of “maintenance mode” while officers become trained as jailers and state agencies what changes need to be made in order to house a non-prison population. This project seems to be a part of Abbott’s larger push to address what he has deemed a migration crisis, seeking alternative detention possibilities outside of federal jurisdiction.
