ICE Already Receiving Proposals To Expand Detention Capabilities in Six States

New documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit have revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actively reviewing proposals from private companies to expand immigration detention facilities in at least six states, including California, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington.

Private companies, including CoreCivic, GEO Group, and Management & Training Corporation, submitted proposals for facilities that could collectively add between 6,650 and 12,000 detention beds nationwide. Some of the proposed sites have faced past criticism for unsafe or unsanitary conditions, including the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Kansas and the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico.

ICE's request, as detailed in the documents, said the agency was seeking an inventory of potentially thousands of beds, mostly for men, but also for women, from public or private entities, though it had no immediate plans to sign contracts.

"You cannot have mass deportations without a significant expansion of ICE detention capacity in states across the country and that's exactly what the incoming Trump administration is preparing to do," said Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's National Prison Project through a statement. "Rather than permanently shutting down abusive detention facilities, the Biden administration is paving the way for President-elect Donald Trump to make good on his cruel and inhumane mass deportation proposals."

Cho also described the development as "tremendously disappointing," citing concerns over the implications for immigrant safety and due process to The Washington Post.

The ACLU said the documents show that only private, for-profit entities submitted proposals to detain immigrants or to provide security or other services. Among them are the nation's largest private prison companies, Tennessee-based CoreCivic and Florida- based GEO Group.

It's worth noting that both companies' stocks soared days after Trump named Thomas Homan as his "border czar", fueled by investor expectations of increased demand for detention services and stricter immigration enforcement under Trump's upcoming administration.

The news confirms a report by The Guardian which revealed that the Biden administration has been extending contracts for private immigration detention centers and exploring expanded detention capacity, providing a potential infrastructure for Trump's immigration plans, even though Biden had previously pledged during the 2020 campaign to end the use of privately run detention facilities.

Facilities proposed for expansion in the documents found by ACLU include the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, which ceased holding families in 2021 after allegations of inadequate child care, and the California City Correctional Center, a former state prison. Other sites include the Nevada Southern Detention Center and Cibola County Correctional Center, both previously cited for medical neglect and abuse.