A small Texas community is benefitting from being home to a facility housing Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. The news this week that ICE is ending its operation in two facilities captured some attention in the town.

El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas re-opened in 2018, after being closed due to a 2015 riot. The three years it was closed down were dark times for this town. A worker at this store explains.

“Very slow. We weren't making any money at all, we were going to close,"  says Suzy Cavazos, “La Mexicana” store worker.

But when it was re-opened, this town saw some more business at its stores. Cavazos says it’s a lot better than it was a few short years ago and much of the business comes from staffers at El Valle Detention Center.

“They have employees that shop here. A lot of employees shop here, because I know a few of them personally," says Cavazos.

She says this small town economy could be devastated if that facility were to shut down.

Officials in the Raymondville area tell us there is no threat of the ICE operations shutting down in their city any time soon.

Cavazos says she is thankful.

“Well business would definitely go down again. Definitely, We know that it would," she explains.

She says she hopes it never closes!