Tonight, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement in response to the reported closure of La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution:
"The decision by the Bureau of Prisons to close La Tuna was done without notifying my office.
"As I push for the agency to release more information, I’m concerned closing La Tuna is evidence of a continued pattern by the Trump administration to privatize more government agencies as outlined in Project 2025. I fear the justification of a massive deficit - despite the Trump administration having no issue already funding other agencies for the rest of his term - will only be used as a flimsy excuse to transform the federal government into a pay-for-play, corrupt system. Republicans have given DHS $45 billion to privatize immigration detention, and this may be the model going forward.
"I am also very concerned about all of the federal employees that have already sacrificed and endured so much whose livelihood has been taken away by Donald Trump. My office will share any new information as soon as we learn more."
