Overview
- The administration is exploring purchasing oversized commercial warehouses to convert into ICE-run holding centers, according to a DHS official and a White House official.
- Officials described the prospective facilities as “mega detention centers” far larger than typical sites, with options from roughly 600,000 square feet to several million.
- Scouting is focused on southern U.S. locations near airports used for removals, and talks are said to be past early stages but not finalized.
- The facilities would be owned outright by ICE and likely staffed by agency employees, with purchases funded from the budget reconciliation package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.
- Amazon says it is not involved in any discussions, while record ICE custody levels—about 66,000 now with projections up to 107,000 by January—are driving the search for added capacity.