New documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit reveal 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 like CoreCivic, GEO Group, and Management & Training Corporation have presented proposals for the establishment of new detention facilities across the country. These facilities have the potential to accommodate anywhere between 6,650 and 12,000 detention beds. However, it is worth noting that some of the proposed sites, such as the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Kansas and the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico, have previously been criticized for their unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
ICE has requested an inventory of beds, primarily for men but also for women, from both public and private entities. However, the agency has clarified that it currently has no plans to enter into contracts for these beds.
“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.”
In an interview with The Washington Post, Cho expressed his deep disappointment with the development, emphasizing the potential negative impact on immigrant safety and due process.
According to the ACLU, the recently released documents reveal that the proposals submitted for detaining immigrants or providing security and other services were exclusively from private, for-profit entities. Notably, two of the largest private prison companies in the country, CoreCivic based in Tennessee and GEO Group based in Florida, were among the entities that submitted these proposals.
Both companies’ stocks experienced a significant surge in value after President Trump appointed Thomas Homan as his “border czar.” This surge was driven by investor optimism regarding the anticipated rise in demand for detention services and stricter immigration enforcement policies under the new administration.
The news confirms a report by The Guardian that the Biden administration has been extending contracts for private immigration detention centers and exploring options for expanding detention capacity. This raises concerns about the potential infrastructure that could support Trump’s immigration plans. It is worth noting that Biden had previously promised to end the use of privately run detention facilities during his 2020 campaign.
The documents discovered by ACLU outline plans to expand various facilities. One of these facilities is the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. However, it is important to note that this center stopped housing families in 2021 due to allegations of insufficient child care. Another facility mentioned is the California City Correctional Center, which was once a state prison. Additionally, the expansion plans also include the Nevada Southern Detention Center and the Cibola County Correctional Center. It is worth mentioning that both of these centers have previously faced criticism for instances of medical neglect and abuse.
