The incoming Trump administration is exploring options to expand immigrant detention centers across the U.S., with a focus on holding migrants before their deportation. This is part of President-elect Donald Trump’s promised mass deportation efforts, according to sources familiar with the planning.
The administration is in talks with private prison companies to increase the number of detention beds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), potentially doubling the current capacity of 41,000 beds allocated by Congress. The plan aims to hold large numbers of migrants for short periods while they await deportation following their arrests in the U.S.
Additionally, the incoming administration is considering reinstating the controversial policy of family detention, which involves holding parents and children together in detention facilities. Immigration advocates have criticized this practice, and the Biden administration ended it in 2021.
As part of the planning process, the Trump transition team is evaluating which of the detention facilities closed by the Biden administration could be reopened. They are also reviewing space in county jails and determining where temporary facilities might be needed to accommodate migrants awaiting deportation.
The team is focused on regions with large immigrant populations, including Democratic-leaning metropolitan areas like Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. These areas may require new detention centers or expanded facilities to accommodate migrants arrested there. The administration is also looking at the Northeast, where cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., could need additional detention capacity.
One source indicated that sanctuary city policies should not hinder ICE’s ability to expand detention centers in these areas.
The proposed expansion is part of what Trump has called the “largest deportation operation in American history.” Critics, however, question whether the administration will have the necessary resources, including funding, staffing, and cooperation from other countries, to carry out such an ambitious plan.