Final Environmental Assessment for a New Central Processing Facility

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR A NEW CENTRAL PROCESSING FACILITY U.S. BORDER PATROL, EL PASO SECTOR, TEXAS U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON, D.C. JULY 2020 Point of Contact Mr. Joseph Zidron U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol and Air and Marine Program Management Office 24000 Avila Road, Suite 5020 Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR A NEW CENTRAL PROCESSING FACILITY U.S. BORDER PATROL, EL PASO SECTOR, TEXAS U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON, D.C. INTRODUCTION: United States (U.S.) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that addresses the potential effects, beneficial and adverse, resulting from the proposed construction and operation of a new U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Central Processing Center (CPC) in the USBP El Paso Sector, El Paso, Texas. The proposed new CPC would be a permanent processing facility constructed to accommodate 965 detainees and a staff of 200 for the processing and temporary holding of migrants who have crossed into the U.S. The facility would be located on an undeveloped parcel of land in northeast El Paso, Texas. Currently, the USBP El Paso Sector does not have the processing space to hold and process the influx of migrants that enter the U.S. on a daily basis. Therefore, the purpose of the proposed CPC would be to provide an immediate processing solution for incoming migrants. CBP uses the National Standards for the Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS), which govern CBP’s interaction with migrants. These standards state that migrants should generally not be held for longer than 72 hours in CBP hold rooms or holding facilities and every effort must be made to hold migrants for the least amount of time. The Proposed Action would support CBP's effort to comply with TEDS and process migrants in an efficient manner. PROJECT LOCATION: The proposed El Paso CPC would be located along Patriot Freeway (U.S. Highway 54) in northeast El Paso, Texas. The proposed location is a 60-acre undeveloped parcel that is owned by the City of El Paso (Property ID: 411468; Geographic ID: X58099911601000; Latitude/Longitude: 31.970744°N, -106.371550°W). The CPC would be located in the north center of the parcel, providing a buffer from adjacent land use activities. PURPOSE AND NEED: CBP proposes the construction, operation, and maintenance of a new CPC in El Paso (the Proposed Action) for the purpose of providing immediate, safe, and secure processing and detention space for migrant families and unaccompanied children in the USBP El Paso Sector. The need for the Proposed Action is the inadequacy of existing CBP and USBP facilities to accommodate the number of migrants without overcrowding and provide the necessary separation of males, females, adults, and unaccompanied children being held. Further, this CPC would allow for a sustainable humanitarian processing and holding facility. ALTERNATIVES: The Proposed Action and one alternative (No Action Alternative) were identified and considered during the planning stages of the proposed project. The Proposed Action would construct a new CPC on a 60-acre parcel of undeveloped land located along Patriot Freeway (U.S. Highway 54) in northeast El Paso, Texas. The proposed CPC would provide a permanent facility to accommodate 965 detainees and a staff of 200 for the processing and El Paso Central Processing Center FONSI-1 July 2020 Environmental Assessment Final temporary holding of migrant families and unaccompanied children who have crossed into the U.S. The CPC would be a 113,000 square-foot, one-story facility with 200,000 square feet of parking that includes 350 parking spaces adjacent to the facility. Construction would be expected to last 18 months and include earthwork, installation of a stormwater detention basin, paving, connection to utilities, concrete placement, installation of a communication tower, installation of perimeter fencing and security lighting, installation of signage, installation of emergency backup power with diesel-fueled generators, installation of fuel storage containment, and other general improvements. The total project area would be approximately 10 acres in size. Operation of the El Paso CPC would be expected to begin upon completion of construction. The CPC would operate 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Operational activities would consist primarily of the transportation of migrants to and from the CPC using buses or other motor vehicles on established public roadways and facility driveways; transfer of migrants from buses into the CPC using a sally port or similar building for processing; utilization of public utilities for power, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, potable water, and waste disposal to run the CPC; and transportation by CBP, USBP, and contractor personnel in three shifts per day to the CPC for staffing. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES: The Proposed Action would have a permanent, negligible impact on land use. Approximately 10 acres would be converted from undeveloped land to CPC facilities. The Proposed Action would have long-term, minor impacts on surface water and groundwater resources resulting from usage during construction and operation of the CPC. Temporary, negligible impacts would be expected on surface water quality as a result of erosion and sedimentation during construction activities. Best management practices (BMPs) and standard construction procedures would be implemented to minimize the potential for erosion and sedimentation during construction. No jurisdictional wetlands or waters of the United States would be impacted by construction of the CPC. Permanent, although minor, impacts would occur on soils and vegetative habitat as a result of disturbing approximately 10 acres for the construction of the new CPC. The permanent loss of approximately 10 acres to the new CPC would have a negligible impact on local wildlife. The Proposed Action may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect, one federally listed species: northern aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis). No designated critical habitat occurs within the project area. Endangered Species Act (ESA), Section 7 consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has been completed for this project. No archaeological sites were recorded during surveys of the CPC site location. An archival records check identified five previously recorded archaeological sites within 1-mile of the proposed CPC facility, none of which overlap with the project area. Therefore, no historic properties would be impacted by implementation of the Proposed Action. National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Section 106 consultation with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) has been completed for this project. Temporary and minor increases in air pollution would occur during construction activities. Air emissions would be below the Federal de minimis thresholds during construction, operation, and maintenance activities. Noise level increases associated with construction equipment would El Paso Central Processing Center FONSI-2 July 2020 Environmental Assessment Final result in temporary, negligible impacts within the vicinity of the construction area. The Proposed Action would not result in exposure of the environment or public to any hazardous materials. The impacts from spills of hazardous materials such as fuel, lubricant, hydraulic fluid, and other chemicals during construction would be minimized by utilizing BMPs. Negligible increases in demands on electric power, water supply, and wastewater treatment utilities would be expected as a result of the new CPC. Installation of new communications equipment would have a negligible impact on the radio frequency (RF) environment within the project area. No RF energy emissions would be outside Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards. The Proposed Action would have a long-term, minor impact on aesthetic qualities within 5 miles or less of the project area. Construction of the CPC would create long-term, minor impacts on roadways and traffic within the region. Vehicular traffic would increase near the proposed site to transport materials and work crews during construction activities. An increase in the number of personnel traveling to the new CPC would also occur after construction has completed. The Proposed Action would have minor to negligible impacts on socioeconomics through increased taxes, salaries, and purchase of supplies during construction and operation of the CPC. Further, the Proposed Action would not result in disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority populations or low-income populations; therefore, no effect relative to environmental justice or protection of children issues would occur. BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: BMPs were identified for each resource category that could be potentially affected. Many of these measures have been incorporated as standard operating procedures by CBP in similar past projects. The BMPs to be implemented are found below and in Section 5.0 of the EA. GENERAL PROJECT PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS 1. If required, night-vision-friendly strobe lights necessary for CBP operational needs will use the minimum wattage and number of flashes per minute necessary to ensure operational safety. 2. Avoid contamination of ground and surface waters by storing concrete wash water, and any water that has been contaminated with construction materials, oils,

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