The Trump administration plans to open a new migrant holding facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, next to the Alexandria International Airport, in a move intended to speed up deportations of families and unaccompanied children. Officials say the 528-bed facility's proximity to the airport would make it easier to house migrants during final preparations for deportation flights, streamlining the removal process from what is already the country's busiest deportation hub.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement describes the site as a "staging area" rather than a detention centre, saying migrants would be held for only a few days at most before being flown to their destination country or transferred elsewhere. Airpark officials characterise it as a "humanitarian effort" for families who are "self-deporting", but immigration advocates counter that families and children sometimes leave under pressure or without fully understanding their options. The airport handled more than 4,400 immigration enforcement flights last year, according to data from Human Rights First's ICE Flight Monitor.