Texas set to spend $140M on building, running new border base camp

A purchase order from the Texas Military Department provided a more detailed look into the cost of the 80-acre facility currently under construction in the border community of Eagle Pass, which is at the epicenter of tensions between state leaders and the federal government over immigration enforcement. Gov. Greg Abbott announced the base camp project during a news conference one week ago, and at the time he only said the expense would be "minimal."

EAGLE PASS, Texas (KXAN) — Texas expects to spend more than $140 million to build and initially run a base camp for soldiers stationed along the border with Mexico, according to records obtained Friday by KXAN.

A purchase order from the Texas Military Department provided a more detailed look into the cost of the 80-acre facility currently under construction in the border community of Eagle Pass, which is at the epicenter of tensions between state leaders and the federal government over immigration enforcement. Gov. Greg Abbott announced the base camp project during a news conference one week ago, and at the time he only said the expense would be "minimal."

The record shows the state awarded the contract for this project to Team Housing Solutions, a company based in New Braunfels. According to the purchase order, the state is anticipating the total cost for construction to be $38,529,140.45.

It's estimated the cost then to run the base camp will be $14,553,212 per month. With the initial contract set to last from Feb. 8 to Sept. 7, Texas can expect to spend $101,872,484 during that time to keep it going.

The purchase order stipulates the state also has options to renew the contract for two one-year periods after that initial seven-month period, so the expenses could grow even higher into the hundreds of millions.

Abbott and other state leaders said these new facilities will be able to house up to 1,800 soldiers and potentially expand to sleep 2,300 if the “state has surge needs.”

Construction timelines

According to a presentation shared by the Texas Military Department, the company that got the contract to build the "Forward Operating Base" laid out a clearer timeline on construction.

The first phase of the project is supposed to be finished by April 25. At that time, it's projected eight modular dorms with 34 individual rooms apiece will open. Six "executive trailers" with five bedrooms each should also be available at that time to house people, bringing the number of beds to 302.

The plans call for the completion of one command center, one first aid facility and a temporary laundry trailer during the first phase, too.

In total, the vendor's presentation shows construction happening in six phases — with at least 300 more beds becoming available at each milestone on May 30, July 5, Aug. 11, Sept. 15 and Oct. 22.

According to the plans, the base camp will also have a fitness center, an outdoor sports area covered by a pavilion and a helipad.

Regarding the 80-acre tract where this project is going in Eagle Pass, the purchase order mentioned Team Housing Solutions "established a leasing agreement with the landowner for six-months with the intent to purchase the property."

State leaders acknowledged last week this large project is moving forward at a time when the reported number of migrants crossing illegally is decreasing. Abbott noted the crossings have dropped to 1% of what was reported just a month ago. They attributed this decline to the state’s border security efforts, including the promise of placing more razor wire along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass.