As the Trump Administration seeks to expand its immigrant detention capacity around the country by converting warehouses and other facilities to house thousands of detainees, local communities, government leaders, and even the would-be sellers of some of the buildings are putting up a fight. President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” allocated $45 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build new detention centers, part of a larger $170 million the law put toward immigration enforcement. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The agency has already made moves to acquire buildings to serve as detention centers in at least eight states, with three properties purchased just last month: one for $102 million in Maryland, another for $84 million in Pennsylvania, and a third for $70 million in Arizona. But as the Administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown draws widespread backlash and scrutiny following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, ICE’s efforts to expand its detention network are also facing pushback. Read more: Inside Mayor Jacob Frey’s Fight For Minneapolis Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday to voice his disapproval of the agency’s plan to establish one such facility in his home state. “While I support the enforcement of immigration law, I write to express my opposition to this acquisition and the proposed detention center,” the senator wrote. Noting that in his understanding the facility would have room to house more than 8,500 beds, he added that the town of…
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
