ALEXANDRIA, La. — A new federal partnership will bring a 528-bed immigration holding facility to England Airpark, where unused military barracks will be converted to house families and unaccompanied children awaiting voluntary departure from the United States.

England Airpark Executive Director Ralph Hennessy said the Trump administration finalized the agreement to help streamline transportation for individuals who are self-deporting. The facility will serve as a temporary stop before charter flights depart from the airpark.

According to Hennessy, those staying at the facility are expected to remain for only a few days before boarding outbound flights.

"The people will be here a couple of days at a time before they go back home," Hennessy said. "Those are the charter flights that people already see the planes coming and going out here at the airpark."

Under the agreement, the England Economic and Industrial Development District will receive approximately $530,000 annually in exchange for the use of the airpark's tarmac and property. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will also cover the cost of renovating the former military barracks.

"You have to realize that we are in business to operate the airpark, and that takes a lot of money to do so," Hennessy said.

The project has generated mixed reactions from area residents.

Some, like Brent Mixon, support the initiative.

"If you're not coming here legally, then you don't need to be here," Mixon said.

Others voiced opposition. Sadie Hopkins called the plan "absolutely ridiculous," while Zoriah Washington said she was unsure how to feel about the development.

"We all share the same land, so it's like... I don't really know how to feel about it," Washington said.

Another resident, who requested anonymity out of concern for possible backlash, questioned whether there would be organized opposition to the project.

At a March 26 meeting, England Authority Commissioner Joe McPherson emphasized that the decision reflects federal immigration policy rather than the personal beliefs of local officials.

"They lobbied for Oakdale, Pollock, and all of these federal detention facilities that are driving this airpark to be the ICE deportation facility," McPherson said. "So please don't look at us and think that we're voting our moral conventions."

Hennessy echoed that sentiment, saying those who oppose the project should direct their concerns to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

"People are entitled to their own opinion," he said. "If you're unhappy with the operation, take that up with the policymakers in Washington, D.C."

Construction on the facility is expected to be completed in the coming months.

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