Four rooms at Hotel Castle Maria have been declared a prison by Acting Governor David D. Archer Jr. Photo: VINO/File

According to the instrument gazetted on May 19, 2026, Acting Governor David D. Archer Jr proclaimed and declared that rooms 311, 315 and 317 and the room referred to as the 'Recreation Room', being part of the premises known as Hotel Castle Maria, are declared to be a prison. Photo: GIS/File

According to the instrument gazetted on May 19, 2026, Mr Archer Jr proclaimed and declared that rooms 311, 315 and 317 and the room referred to as the “Recreation Room”, being part of the premises known as Hotel Castle Maria, situated at McNamara, Tortola, “are declared to be a prison for the purposes of the Prison Ordinance, Cap. 166”.

It is provided in section 4A of the Prison Ordinance, Cap. 166 that the Governor may, by Proclamation published in the Gazette, declare any place to be a prison.

Immigrants apprehended in the territory have often been held in temporary facilities, including Hotel Castle Maria in McNamara.

In June 2025, the Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) awarded a $370,000 contract to the Virgin Islands company Trojan Design and Development Ltd to design an immigration detention centre and manage its construction.