Overview
- Three former DHS officials say current agency leaders expect Phoenix to be the next focus of increased ICE arrests, detentions, and deportations, though DHS has not confirmed a timeline.
- The Washington Post previously reported plans for seven large industrial holding centers, including a site in Glendale, which a former senior DHS official said could add thousands of beds and create a regional hub of removal.
- Sources anticipate soft-sided detention structures in Arizona, a faster-to-deploy option that has raised concerns about humane conditions.
- ICE is described as well funded following passage of the administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” with officials looking to expand detention capacity using the new resources.
- Local elected leaders and immigrant-rights groups in southern Arizona say they will refuse to provide government resources to assist ICE, while operational details remain uncertain.