Resistance erupts over ICE's warehouse buying spree
Sunday, February 1, 2026
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The Department of Homeland Security has scouted dozens of locations to retrofit into ICE detention centers, with the largest ones capable of holding up to 9,500 people, as part of a massive expansion fueled by a $45 billion budget.
ICE's detention population has nearly doubled over the past year, and the new facilities will enable the agency to further ramp up mass deportations, with the goal of holding approximately 500 people at smaller warehouses and between 7,500 and 9,500 at the largest ones.
Protests have erupted in multiple states, including Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, New Hampshire, and New York, with residents and lawmakers like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) opposing the purchase of warehouses for detention centers, citing concerns over ICE's aggressive tactics and the impact on local communities.
The Trump administration has spent over $170 million on properties in Maryland and Arizona, and is pushing to quickly scale up detention capacity through various means, including state-run sites, agreements with local jails, and private prison contractors like Geo Group and CoreCivic.
The federal government's direct purchase of these facilities makes it harder for city and state governments to push back on DHS's plans, sparking fears of unchecked expansion of ICE's detention capabilities, with almost 70,000 people currently being held by ICE, according to the latest figures.
Border czar Tom Homan has stated that the expansion of detention facilities is not a retreat from Trump's mass deportation campaign promise, despite public outcry over the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January, which has led to widespread criticism of ICE's tactics.
The expansion of ICE's detention capacity has been met with fierce resistance from local communities, with protesters descending on county meeting rooms and warehouses, highlighting the growing opposition to the Trump administration's immigration policies and the need for greater accountability and oversight.
