Marcelino Serna Port of Entry
The Marcelino Serna Port of Entry (formerly the Tornillo Port of Entry) is a new border crossing that has replaced the Fabens Port of Entry on the U.S.-Mexico border. It opened on November 17, 2014. The new crossing is built around the Tornillo-Guadalupe Bridge about 1800 feet west of the previous two-lane Fabens–Caseta International Bridge and can accommodate vehicular, pedestrian and commercial traffic.[1] The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility at the crossing served as the site for the Tornillo tent city, which housed as many as 2,800 detained migrant youths from June 2018 to January 2019. As of July 2019, a 2,500-bed holding facility for adult migrants is under construction at the site.
| Tornillo Port of Entry | |
|---|---|
 Tornillo Port of Entry | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | 1400 Lower Island Rd. (FM 1109) Tornillo, Texas 79853 (Tornillo-Guadalupe Bridge) |
| Coordinates | 31.432780°N 106.148058°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | 2014 |
| Phone | (915) 765-2800 |
| Hours | 6:00 AM-10:00 PM |
| Exit Port | Guadalupe |
| Statistics | |
| 2011 Cars | (not open) |
| 2011 Trucks | (not open) |
| Pedestrians | (not open) |
| Website http://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/tornillo | |
History
Construction of the Port of Entry began in July 2011,[2] and the facilities were ready at the end of 2013. However, the Mexican side of the crossing suffered delays due to lack of funding; construction on the Mexican side of the new bridge finally began in January 2014, with customs inspection facilities and road infrastructure still pending.[3][4]
The port was renamed the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry in April 2017.[5] Marcelino Serna was an undocumented Mexican immigrant who later became one of the most decorated Texan veterans of World War I.[5]
Detention facilities
Tornillo youth detention facility, 2018–2019
Tornillo tent city was built within the facilities in June 2018 to house immigrant children. It was operated by BCFS on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement. Nearly 6,200 minors cycled through the facility within the seven months it operated.[6]
Tornillo adult detention facility
In July 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection began construction on a new holding facility designed to hold 2,500 adult immigrants on the site. CBP expects the facility, which will be a "large, soft-sided structure" to begin operations in July or August 2019.[7] On July 17, the deployment of 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the Tornillo and Donna detention facilities was announced.[8]
References
- "Tornillo - Guadalupe Land Port of Entry". Turner Construction Company. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- "GSA Launches Construction of Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry". GSA News Release. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- Figueroa, Lorena (10 November 2013). "Tornillo-Guadalupe crossing: Construction on Mexican side set to begin next year". The El Paso Times. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- Figueroa, Lorena (13 January 2014). "Delayed Tornillo-Guadalupe international bridge to be done by summer". The El Paso Times. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- Iraheta, Adria. "Tornillo Port of Entry officially renamed after local war hero Marcelino Serna". KFOX. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
- Sacchetti, Maria (January 11, 2019). "Trump administration removes all migrant teens from giant Tornillo tent camp". Washington Post.
- Moore, Robert (2019-07-13). "Tornillo will reopen as a migrant detention center, this time for up to 2,500 adults". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
- "1,000 Texas Guard troops being deployed to migrant facilities at Tornillo, Donna". KVIA. Associated Press. 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2019-07-18.