The United States government is reportedly considering buying and retrofitting warehouses as detention and detention facilities for immigrants before they are deported from the country, NBC reported, citing officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House.
The warehouses, originally designed for use by Amazon and other companies, will be converted as storage facilities for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he said. The possibility of a “huge expansion” of the Trump administration’s detention capacity is being reviewed, the official said in the publication.
When contacted for comment, the White House asked the publication to contact DHS and ICE for an official response on the matter, the report said. He added that DHS and ICE did not respond to inquiries.
NBC reached out to Amazon, and a spokesperson said the company is not involved in discussions with DHS or ICE about the warehouses. The representative added that Amazon only leases its own space and does not own most of the warehouse space.
ICE steps up anti-immigration efforts: How do Americans see it?
The report added that this is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen its anti-immigration policies. After taking office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump followed through on his promise to deport migrants en masse, taking “different approaches with varying degrees of success”.
However, the report said the White House is “frustrated” by ICE’s failure to meet daily arrest quotas or hire required staff. Some senior leaders are replaced during the fighting, he added.
Among other attempts earlier this year, plans to detain “tens of thousands” of immigrants in tents at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, failed to materialize, the agency said. Plans were later made to build tents for 2,000 immigrants at Fort Bliss, Texas, but faced logistical problems. Recently, officials announced that state detention centers would be operating in Louisiana, Indiana and Florida, he added.
According to an NBC News poll, 50% of registered voters said they viewed ICE unfavorably, while 39% said they were in favor of the exercise. In the same poll, 51% felt the Trump administration met their expectations on border security and immigration, while 44% felt the opposite.
