Historic La Tuna federal prison slated for closure as Bureau of Prisons restructures
The La Tuna federal prison complex in Anthony, Texas, is slated for closure as the Bureau of Prisons restructures facilities nationwide.
The Anthony, Texas, prison complex has operated since 1932. Federal officials said La Tuna is among six prisons slated for closure as the Bureau of Prisons addresses deferred maintenance and staffing challenges.
Robert Moore, El Paso Matters
This article was originally published by El Paso Matters.
The La Tuna federal prison complex, which has operated in Anthony, Texas, since 1932, will be closed in an effort by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to address decades of deferred maintenance and staffing challenges, federal officials said Wednesday.
“These actions are necessary to address longstanding infrastructure and staffing challenges while ensuring the bureau remains focused on its core mission of operating safe, secure, and efficient correctional facilities. We will support our workforce throughout this transition and responsibly position the agency for the future,” Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III said in a statement.
Officials didn’t respond to questions about how many people are employed at La Tuna. The statement from the Bureau of Prisons said that while some employees of prisons being closed or downsized will be reassigned, the staff at La Tuna will be laid off.
No time frame was given for the closure.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said the Bureau of Prisons made the decision to close La Tuna without notifying her office. She said she suspects that closing La Tuna and other prisons is part of an effort by the Trump administration to privatize the federal prison system.
“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,” Escobar said in a statement.
The federal prison system had almost 154,000 inmates as of June 25, according to Bureau of Prisons statistics. That’s down from a peak of 219,000 in 2013.
La Tuna is one of six federal prisons to be closed, including Texas facilities in Beaumont and Big Spring.
The prison is noted for its Spanish mission style created by El Paso architect Gustavus Trost. It currently houses 551 men at the low-security prison and 161 inmates at the adjacent minimum security camp, according to the prison’s website.
Well-known inmates at the prison during its history included Mafia informant Joseph Valachi, mob boss Nicodermo “Little Nicky” Scarfo, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, former California Congressman Duncan Hunter, pornographer Max Hardcore, and El Paso businessman Bob Jones.
Robert Moore is the founder and CEO of El Paso Matters. He has been a journalist in the Texas Borderlands since 1986.
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