Webb County Detention Center — Laredo TX (CoreCivic)
Overview
The Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas is a CoreCivic-operated ICE detention facility under a longstanding IGSA. Located on the I-35 corridor at the busiest commercial border crossing in the Western Hemisphere, it is a key node in the South Texas detention network.
Key Details
- Address: 4702 Highway 359, Laredo, TX
- Operator: CoreCivic
- Contract type: IGSA (contract number 70CDCR18DIG000004)
- Warden: Mario Garcia (in place since 1999)
- ICE inspections: February 2025, February 2026
Strategic Context
Webb County sits at the intersection of I-35 (running north to San Antonio, Austin, Dallas) and the Mexico border. The Laredo Sector is one of the busiest CBP sectors, covering 171 river miles and ~110,000 square miles.
The county’s heatmap signal of 68 includes an ANC score of 3 — indicating heavy Alternatives to Detention contracting, likely through BI Incorporated (GEO subsidiary). Heavy ATD contracting often precedes physical detention bed expansion: contractors establish monitoring programs, flag people for non-compliance, then push for beds to house those caught. This is the “closed loop” precursor pattern.
Regional Network
Webb County is part of a broader South Texas detention corridor:
- South Texas ICE Processing Center (Pearsall, Frio County) — GEO Group, ~1,900 beds
- Webb County Detention Center (Laredo) — CoreCivic
- Rio Grande Valley facilities (Hidalgo/Cameron counties)
- Uvalde/Del Rio area facilities