NEW YORK, NY – Newly obtained documents from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actively evaluating proposals to expand immigration detention facilities in at least six states, including California, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Washington.
The ACLU warns these revelations come amid preparations by President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to implement mass deportations.
“You cannot have mass deportations without a significant expansion of ICE detention capacity in states across the country and that’s exactly what the incoming Trump administration is preparing to do,” said Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s National Prison Project.
“Rather than permanently shutting down abusive detention facilities, the Biden administration is paving the way for President-elect Donald Trump to make good on his cruel and inhumane mass deportation proposals,” Cho maintains.
The documents, reported by the ACLU, were released as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by the ACLU in September 2024, and expose plans involving private prison corporations and other entities to construct and operate detention facilities.
ACLU charges this development follows a prior FOIA release indicating potential expansions at three facilities in New Jersey.
According to the ACLU, the FOIA documents detail contract proposals from private prison operators, including GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corporation (MTC).
The ACLU claims all of these companies have histories of controversy and alleged abuse.
The ACLU article states the proposed expansions include: “Midwest Regional Reception Center, Leavenworth, KS – Previously closed by the federal government in 2021 due to abusive conditions; South Texas Family Residential Center, Dilley, TX – Known for inadequate medical care, resulting in the deaths of children as young as 19 months; Nevada Southern Detention Center, Pahrump, NV – Under federal investigation for allegations of medical negligence, racial discrimination, and verbal abuse.
“Cibola County Correctional Center, Milan, NM – Site of multiple deaths tied to neglect, abuse, and insufficient medical care; Torrance County Detention Facility, Estancia, NM – Cited in 2022 by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General for poor conditions and California City Correctional Center, California City, CA – Repurposed in March 2024 after previously serving as a state prison.”
The ACLU added potential plans proposed by GEO Group and MTC, such as Lea County Correctional Facility in Hobbs, NM; Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA; Golden State Annex in McFarland, CA, and more.
The ACLU also said other corporate entities, including Kastel Enterprises, LLC, and Active Deployment Systems, have proposed building temporary facilities. Sabot Consulting has offered compliance monitoring and staffing services.
The ACLU noted the federal government’s reliance on private prison corporations, such as GEO Group, CoreCivic, LaSalle Corrections, and MTC, to operate detention centers. These corporations have collectively earned billions through ICE contracts over the past two decades, said the ACLU.
Despite repeated reports of abusive conditions, these companies remain central to ICE’s detention operations, reports the ACLU, warning that expanding detention capacity risks exacerbating abuses in facilities already known for neglect and substandard care.
The ACLU’s Cho stated, “the Biden administration can reverse course on immigration detention, it should dramatically reduce the number of people in ICE detention, invest in alternatives to detention, and stop allowing private prison companies from profiting by the billions of dollars each year off the suffering of immigrants in detention.”
