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Tucson mayor vows transparency during CBP construction of new migrant facility

The "soft-sided facility" will be built to hold 500 immigrants and will hold an "open house" for elected officials and media, the U.S. Border Patrol said.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Editor's note: The above video aired during a previous broadcast.

Members of the media and elected officials will be able to see a new migrant facility prior to its opening in Tucson, the city's mayor Regina Romero tweeted on Monday.

The move comes as multiple news organizations have reported being blocked from entering immigration detention sites by the United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) under the Biden administration.

"In the interest of transparency, it is important that this facility be open to both elected officials and members of the media, which is why I am encouraged to hear that Border Patrol plans to have an 'open house' of the facility prior to becoming operational," Romero said.

The new facility will be built to house around 150 to 200 people with COVID-19 restrictions and 500 without those restrictions when it opens in late April or early May. The city is currently housing 75 family units at local hotels.

CBP also said the facility will have the capacity to process migrants as well, increasing the department's operational capacity. 

"The crammed conditions that we have seen in other facilities in other states are simply not acceptable," Romero said. "The City of Tucson will continue to be a strong partner...to provide humane, dignified care for asylum seekers during their brief stop in Tucson."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has previously declined to provide a specific date when the media will get access to other Border Patrol facilities, but said the Biden administrations was "working to get that done as soon as we can."

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