Management & Training Corporation (MTC), operator of the largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in the nation, has appointed a new warden with extensive criminal justice experience to manage the facility.

Ernesto Velasco, 55, formerly of Chicago, Ill. and recently Arizona, started working at the Raymondville, Texas facility this summer.

Velasco's correctional career began in Illinois in 1975 at the Cook County Jail where he started as a correctional officer. He rose through the ranks until 1996, when he became the executor director of the largest single county jail facility in the United States.

"I had no prisoner escapes for the 7-1/2 years I was director," Velasco recalled. "I'm really proud of my rehabilitation accomplishments at the Cook County Jail," which had over 10,000 prisoners.

Velasco supervised 3,000 employees and managed a budget of $180 million.

"I'm going to run a clean and safe environment for detainees," Velasco said. "I'm going to lead by example - When I pick up trash and put it in the dumpster, then I expect all of my staff to do the same."

"I'm going to address each detainee and each staff member as Mr. Jones or Mr. Garcia," he added.

In his short couple of weeks at the ICE Unit, Warden Velasco has already hired a chaplain.

"We had our first Catholic Mass at the unit, and want to reach out more to detainees," Velasco said. "Since their length of stay is very short, I'm going to look for specialized programs."