Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention
Source: New York Times
Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention
A request for proposals for new detention facilities and other services would allow the government to expedite the contracting process and rapidly expand detention.
CoreCivic signed a five-year, $246 million contract to reopen a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, seen in 2015. The company is one of several private detention operators to have already signed new contracts since President Trump took office. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times
By Allison McCannAlexandra Berzon and Hamed Aleaziz
April 7, 2025
Updated 2:58 p.m. ET
The Trump administration is seeking to spend tens of billions of dollars to set up the machinery to expand immigrant detention on a scale never before seen in the United States, according to a request for proposals posted online by the administration last week. ... The request, which comes from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calls for contractors to submit proposals to provide new detention facilities, transportation, security guards, medical support and other administrative services worth as much as $45 billion over the next two years.
ICE does not yet have that much money itself. But if funded, the maximum value would represent more than a sixfold increase in spending to detain immigrants. It is the latest indication that President Trump and his administration are laying the groundwork to rapidly follow through on his promise for a mass campaign to rid the country of undocumented immigrants. ... The sprawling request to contractors was posted last week with a deadline of Monday. In the last fiscal year, D.H.S. allocated about $3.4 billion for the entire custody operation overseen by ICE.
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Typically, detention contracts go through a lengthy process for each facility, and ICE specifies the type, size and location. (A request from February, for example, sought up to 950 beds in the Denver area.) But this latest request is what is known as a bulk or blanket purchase agreement. It essentially creates a Rolodex of every detention facility and all auxiliary services and then allows ICE to place individual orders as more funding comes through. ... Kevin Landy, the director of detention policy and planning for ICE under President Barack Obama, said that the government’s request was a clear sign that the Trump administration was looking to spend money quickly. “What’s going on is the administration is very concerned that they don’t have enough detention capacity to accomplish their immigration enforcement needs,” he said.
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Tents constructed this year on the military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. They have yet to house migrants. Doug Mills/The New York Times
Facilities under the contract will not have to meet the standards for services and detainee care that ICE has typically set for large detention providers. Instead, they can operate under the less rigorous standards the agency uses for contracts with local jails and prisons. These facilities typically do not include comprehensive medical care, like access to mental health services, nor do they offer access to information about immigrants’ legal rights. ... Mr. Homan had previously said that he was seeking to lower detention standards, and that he would do away with some of the government oversight and inspections intended to ensure compliance.
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Aaron Krolik contributed reporting.
Allison McCann is a reporter and graphics editor at The Times who covers immigration.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/allison-mccann
Alexandra Berzon is an investigative reporter covering American politics and elections for The Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/alexandra-berzon
Hamed Aleaziz covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/hamed-aleaziz
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/us/politics/trump-administration-immigrant-detention-facilities-services.html
Hat tip, Hamed Aleaziz at Bluesky
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Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/us/politics/trump-administration-immigrant-detention-facilities-services.html?smid=bs-share
Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention
A request for proposals for new detention facilities and other services would allow the government to expedite the contracting process and rapidly expand detention.
www.nytimes.com
April 7, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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