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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is exploring a plan to dramatically expand its detention capacity by converting industrial warehouses into large-scale holding facilities capable of detaining as many as 80,000 immigrants at one time, according to reporting by The Washington Post.
The proposal, developed during the Trump administration, is outlined in internal ICE documents reviewed by the newspaper. The documents describe a significant shift in how immigrant detention would operate, moving away from the current practice of transferring detainees to any available space nationwide.
Instead, ICE would establish a structured system designed to speed deportations. Under the plan, newly detained immigrants would initially be held at smaller processing sites for several weeks. They would then be transferred to one of seven large detention centers, each designed to hold between 5,000 and 10,000 people, where they would remain while awaiting deportation.
In addition to the large facilities, the plan includes at least 16 smaller processing sites with capacities ranging from roughly 500 to 1,500 detainees. The large warehouse detention centers would be located near major transportation and logistics hubs in states including Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia and Missouri, according to the documents.
The reporting indicates ICE is seeking private contractors to help carry out the proposed overhaul, including renovating existing industrial warehouses for detention use. The documents reviewed by The Washington Post describe a draft solicitation that has not been finalized and could still change.
ICE plans to share the draft proposal with private detention companies to assess interest and refine the plan before proceeding, according to the reporting. No contracts have been awarded, and the proposal remains under review.
Texas Reporter 