U.S. expands migrant detention network with $45 billion boost

U.S. immigration authorities are rapidly expanding migrant detention facilities nationwide, aiming to more than double capacity to 100,000 beds by the end of 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rushing to construct large-scale tent camps for migrants following a $45 billion funding injection, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The agency’s goal is to increase detention space from the current 40,000 to 100,000 beds by year-end.

The expansion strategy includes new 5,000-bed facilities at military bases such as Fort Bliss in Texas, with additional sites planned in Colorado, Indiana, and New Jersey. A senior ICE official told Reuters that the department is "pursuing all available options to expand bedspace capacity" and that the approach "does include housing detainees at certain military bases."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has reportedly favoured detention centres operated by Republican-led states and local governments over privately run facilities.

Noem also revealed last week that discussions were underway with five Republican-governed states to replicate Florida’s so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” – a detention centre known for its strict conditions.

“We've had several other states that are actually using Alligator Alcatraz as a model for how they can partner with us,” she said at a press conference in Florida. She did not name the states involved.

ICE has not confirmed the full scope or details of the expansion plan, but internal documents suggest a clear urgency to scale up operations before the year ends.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the U.S. already has one of the world’s largest immigration detention systems. The proposed scale-up would mark a historic increase, raising fresh questions about migrant rights, oversight, and federal-state cooperation.

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