U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to spend $38.3 billion to buy and convert warehouses across the country into immigration detention centers, according to documents shared with New Hampshire’s governor and posted on the state’s website Thursday, The Washington Post reported.
ICE intends to acquire 16 buildings across the country and retrofit each to hold 1,000 to 1,500 detainees as regional processing centers, according to an overview of the agency’s detention plan, the report said.
The centers can hold 7,000 to 10,000 detainees at a time
Eight other large detention centers are planned to hold between 7,000 and 10,000 detainees and serve as “primary locations” for international deportations.
According to the document, individuals would spend an average of three to seven days in processing centers before being moved to larger facilities, where they would stay for roughly 60 days before being removed.
The documents state that the expansion of detention facilities is needed to accommodate the increased number of ICE employees and the expected increase in arrests. They provide the most detailed overview yet of the Trump administration’s plan to turn industrial buildings into immigration detention centers — a sweeping initiative to increase ICE’s capacity to quickly detain and deport more immigrants, The Washington Post reported.
According to ICE documents, the new warehouse-based detention system is designed to funnel detainees to large detention centers for deportation instead of transferring them to any available facility around the country.
The documents reveal the scope and resources the Trump administration has devoted to creating a network of mass deportations. The plan’s $38 billion budget exceeds the combined annual spending of 22 U.S. states, according to state budget data cited by The Washington Post.
ICE has provided limited details about the initiative, which has raised concerns among state and local officials about the logistical and humanitarian challenges of building large detention centers in their regions.
ICE reportedly spent $690 million to acquire at least eight industrial properties
In recent weeks, ICE has reportedly spent more than $690 million to acquire at least eight industrial properties in Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to property deeds and internal ICE records reviewed by The Washington Post.
The agency has also expressed interest in at least four other properties in Georgia, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey, according to a statement from local officials.
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The government intends to hire contractors for major renovations, converting empty industrial buildings into detention facilities with lobbies, recreation areas, dormitories, courtrooms and cafeterias.
For example, at the facility ICE plans to acquire in Merrimack, the agency expects to spend $158 million on additional equipment, according to an ICE economic impact assessment Gov. Kelly Ayotte posted on her website.
It looks like Homeland Security will end tonight
A shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) looks almost certain as talks between Republican leaders and Democrats over funding broke down as lawmakers prepared to leave Washington for a 10-day recess. Negotiations with the White House on democratic demands have stalled, as reported by the AP agency.
Democrats want new limits on immigration enforcement in response to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis, including requirements that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement officers be better identified, adhere to a new code of conduct and obtain warrants more often, among other reforms, the report said.
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Democrats and the White House have exchanged proposals in recent days, but have been unable to reach an agreement.
Unlike last fall’s record 43-day shutdown, the shutdowns will be narrowly limited, affecting only agencies under the DHS umbrella — such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, the AP reported.
Still, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, some federal workers could start missing paychecks and services like airport screening could suffer if the shutdown drags on for weeks.
(With inputs from The Washington Post, AP)
Key things
- ICE is planning a massive expansion of immigration detention facilities across the US
- The new centers are designed to quickly process and deport detainees.
- Concerns are being raised about the humanitarian consequences of such large-scale detention operations.