Fox News went behind the scenes at a Texas detention center for criminal illegal immigrants to reveal the reality of the conditions detainees face.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement allowed a tour of the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston, according to Fox News.
“What we hope to accomplish, more than anything, is to dispel the false narratives out there,” said Randy Tate, the facility manager.
For example, a recent report in The Washington Post claimed, “[T]he government is failing to provide basic necessities, including beds and medical care, for some of them.”
#EXCLUSIVE: Fox News gets a rare, behind-the-scenes tour of ICE Deportation Facility in Texas, which processes 400-500 illegal migrants a week. ICE officials say the media hasn’t been given this level of full access in years, getting an up close look at what detention looks like… pic.twitter.com/4yrBjZtv9e
— Brooke Taylor (@Brooketaylortv) April 22, 2025
“Nothing was off limits,” Fox News reporter Brooke Taylor posted on X.
She posted that the “rare, behind-the-scenes tour” was unusual, adding “ICE officials say the media hasn’t been given this level of full access in years, getting an up close look at what detention looks like – from processing, to booking, to living conditions.”
The center holds about 1,240 people Taylor’s Fox News report said.
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The facility is designed with everything from medical facilities to courts, so travel is not required.
“This place is unique because it’s one of the few in the country that were designed and built for ICE and immigration. It was designed for this purpose,” Tate said.
Bret Bradford, the Field Office Director, said detention centers are to ensure illegal immigrants appear in court for deportation hearings. In processing detainees, the potential for harm to the public and risk of fleeing are the top issues.
“We only have so much bed space, so we prioritize the cases,” Bradford said. “There are some cases that by law have to be detained. They are mandatory detention. They are terrorism cases, extremely silent cases, expedited removal cases, things like that.”
Taylor noted that reading books and making gestures at the camera crew were common as she toured the facility.
“There [are] many false narratives and misinformation that’s out there, especially with groups that oppose immigration enforcement. I think it’s very important for us to get out there and say the true narrative,” Bradford said, noting access to legal advice and medical care was abundant.
“They have multiple avenues of access,” Bradford said. “There are phones in every dorm. They can use them 24/7.”
“Within each dorm, there are kiosks where they can access materials,” Bradford said. “There are programs like LexisNexis that they can use to pursue their legal cases. There are multiple avenues. Not to mention, attorneys can visit anytime. There are rooms set up for attorney client visitation, so they have privacy to discuss their cases.”
“Medical care is something that is criticized all the time,” Bradford said. “I think it’s unfair. When they get booked in and assessed, we find conditions, medical conditions that they didn’t even know they had and left untreated.”
Taylor’s report noted that the facility includes game rooms, gyms, a library, and a chapel.
“A lot of these folks are criminals,” Bradford said.
“We don’t want them back in the community, and we don’t want them harming U.S. citizens or furthering to harm U.S. citizens. A lot have already done. So we don’t want them repeating their crimes or further victimizing the community,” he said.
“So we certainly want to protect the community and keep those people out of the community. The other thing to think about is even the ones who aren’t criminals, necessarily, a lot of them, we really don’t know who they are. We really don’t know what they’ve done overseas before they came here.”
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