The Briscoe Unit in Dilley, Texas, was emptied of state prisoners last month to instead detain immigrants.
With the Texas prison system dangerously understaffed, nearly 150 guards are now working in an empty prison that Gov. Greg Abbott plans to convert into a state-run jail for immigrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
More than 1,000 prisoners at the South Texas Briscoe Unit were transferred to other state lockups weeks ago, but it's still unclear when and how the emptied prison will be fashioned into a Texas-operated jail for migrants facing — but not convicted of — state criminal charges.
State agencies that enforce jail standards and regulate law enforcement training have scrambled to determine what changes are needed at the unit to house a non-prison population. And 147 Briscoe officers are training to be certified as jailers while the prison remains in “maintenance mode” awaiting further instruction, according to a spokesperson for Texas Department of Criminal Justice.