EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso Processing Center, owned and operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, was named the 2024 Program of the Year by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.
This prestigious award is presented each year to a facility program among the 500 jails, prisons and juvenile confinement facilities participating in NCCHC’s nationwide accreditation program. The NCCHC Program of the Year Award recognizes ICE Health Service Corps staff from the El Paso Service Processing Center for its community engagement and comprehensive health care program supporting a vulnerable population.
On Oct. 21, Lt. Cdr. Jacobo Almanza, assistant health services administrator of ICE Health Services Corps, and ERO El Paso Assistant Field Office Director Angel Garite accepted the award at the NCCHC in Las Vegas, Nevada. About 1,000 people from across the country attended the award ceremony.
“It’s an honor for the ERO El Paso Field Office and El Paso Processing Center to receive this distinction, which speaks to IHSC’s commitment to providing quality and comprehensive health care to detained noncitizens,” said ERO El Paso Field Office Director Mary De Anda-Ybarra. “ERO’s priority is to provide safe and humane conditions of confinement for migrants in custody, and IHSC plays a major role in making that possible every day.”
“Working with ICE and our custody partners is an important aspect of accreditation,” IHSC Cdr. Tanya Barragan, health services administrator in El Paso. The El Paso Service Processing Center’s comprehensive health care program demonstrates combined team efforts to provide efficient, quality health care amid challenging situations.”
In Fiscal Year 2023, IHSC provided direct care to more than 131,000 noncitizens housed at 19 facilities throughout the nation to include medical, dental, and mental health care, and public health services. In FY 2023, IHSC oversaw health care for over 191,850 detained noncitizens housed in 128 non-IHSC-staffed facilities and directly supported ERO field leadership on medical issues within their area of responsibility. In many instances, the care noncitizens receive while in ERO custody is the first professional medical care they have received, and it is common for health screenings to identify chronic and previously undiagnosed health conditions.
The mission of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is to improve the quality of health care in jails, prisons and juvenile confinement facilities. NCCHC establishes standards for health services in correctional facilities, operates a voluntary accreditation program for institutions that meet those standards, produces and disseminates resource publications, conducts educational conferences, and offers a certification program for correctional health professionals. NCCHC is supported by the major national organizations representing the fields of health, mental health, law and corrections. Each of those organizations has named a liaison to the NCCHC board of representatives to create a robust, multidisciplinary governing structure that reflects the complexities of correctional health care.
"The center’s comprehensive health care program is the result of a true team effort to provide efficient, quality care, despite numerous challenges and language barriers,” said Amy Panagopoulos, vice president for accreditation of NCCHC. “The El Paso Processing Center integrates well within the larger community and has collaborative relationships with several hospitals and specialty clinics to provide care to their incarcerated population."
As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
For more news and information about ERO El Paso’s immigration enforcement mission and how it contributes to keep our communities safe in El Paso, West Texas and the state of New Mexico, follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROElPaso. Originally published at https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-el-paso-processing-center-selected-r-scott-chavez-program-year
