FINAL Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of a New Joint Processing Center in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Department of Homeland Security procedures for implementing NEPA (DHS Directive 023-01 Rev 01 and Instruction 023-01-001 Rev 01), and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), DHS prepared a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) to evaluate the potential impacts to the human and natural environment resulting from a proposed project to construct, operate, and maintain  a Joint Processing Center (JPC) and demobilize an existing Central Processing Center (CPC) on a 59-acre parcel owned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas.

The purpose is to relieve crowding in existing DHS facilities and support humanitarian efforts along the U.S. southwestern border, such as ensuring the security, placement, and successful transition of migrants and refugees. The Draft SEA was made available for a 30-day public review and comment period which concluded on September 23, 2023. No substantive public comments were received. After thorough review and consideration, DHS issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and concluded the NEPA review for this action. The Final SEA and signed FONSI are available for download.