Overview
- A reported ICE draft reviewed by The Washington Post outlines converting large industrial warehouses into facilities holding 5,000–10,000 people each, with sites flagged in Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia and Missouri.
- The draft lists potential locations including Stafford, Kansas City, Hutchins, Baytown, Hammond, Glendale and Social Circle, and contemplates additional processing centers with 500–1,500 beds in Chester, Salt Lake City and Los Fresnos.
- Records cited by The Intercept indicate 10 companies have already received over $1 million tied to the effort, with total contracts projected to exceed $1 billion by 2027 and a largest bounty-style award estimated at $365 million.
- Official data show more than 605,000 deportations since January 20, 2025 and 443,671 CBP detentions in fiscal 2025, a nearly 80% drop from 2024 that authorities and analysts link to stricter measures in Mexico, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
- New steps include a 350‑troop National Guard deployment to New Orleans and sustained U.S. Embassy messaging discouraging irregular crossings, while USCIS says it has referred almost 3,200 cases to ICE, leading to nearly 2,000 detentions.