Photo: Collected
President Donald Trump's pledge to deport "millions and millions" of undocumented immigrants hinges on expanding detention facilities, but the U.S. faces significant logistical and financial challenges to achieve this goal. Currently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has a budget to detain about 41,000 people, far below the estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates it costs approximately $165 per day to detain one adult, with more facilities needed to hold individuals during processing and deportation arrangements. A DHS memo estimates that expanding capacity by 110,000 beds under the recently passed Laken Riley Act would cost $26.9 billion.
The act, named after a Georgia nursing student murdered by a Venezuelan man, mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft or violent crimes.
Trump's immigration strategy also includes deploying troops to halt illegal border crossings, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport individuals from nations perceived as threats, and eliminating "catch and release," a practice allowing migrants to await immigration proceedings outside of detention.
Limited Capacity
ICE relies on a network of government-run processing centers, private detention facilities, and local jails under contracts, but has no designated family detention centers, despite families making up one-third of arrivals at the southern border. Expanding detention capacity would require constructing new facilities, said John Sandweg, former acting ICE director under President Barack Obama.
The Trump administration declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, leveraging military resources to support mass deportations and detention efforts. The Pentagon may provide air transport and additional detention space. Private companies such as GEO Group and CoreCivic are seeing rising stock prices, anticipating a detention infrastructure boom.
Expansion Plans
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has identified potential detention facility expansions in at least eight states, including Leavenworth, Kansas, and areas near immigrant hubs like New York City and San Francisco. Detention providers are considering repurposing facilities previously used for immigrants, such as a tent complex in Carrizo Springs, Texas, and the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.
According to Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's National Prison Project, the Trump administration aims to maximize detention capacity. However, she noted Congress controls funding, and military involvement raises concerns about its impact on readiness.
Criticism of Militarization
Immigrant advocates warn against creating a hyper-militarized system that could expand the world's largest migrant detention infrastructure. ICE detention facilities have faced criticism for failing to meet federal care standards, according to a DHS inspector general report.
Trump previously authorized military bases to house detained immigrants, a practice also utilized under the Obama administration during a surge of Central American migrants. Military facilities have historically been used for immigrant resettlement during crises, including for refugees from Vietnam, Cuba, and Afghanistan.
The debate over Trump's immigration plans is intensifying as advocates question their feasibility and potential humanitarian impacts.
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