ICE ‘bankrupt’ but increases beds in detention centers

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ICE is currently funded for 41,500 beds across approximately 130 detention facilities nationwide. The Department of Homeland Security has asked ICE to increase its detention capacity by 60,000 beds to total around 100,000 beds. Because of this urgent request, ICE has argued that the agency does not have time to complete a full competitive process and instead has entered into no-bid agreements with detention contractors to quickly fulfill this task.

California ranks third in total numbers of migrants held in detention with nearly 3,200 as of May 27. This, however, is well behind Texas with 12,500 and Louisiana with almost 7,300. The addition of the California City facility will increase the state’s capacity by 36%, bringing the count of available beds to 9,700.

When asked about efforts to increase detention space in California, Tom Homan, President Trump’s chief advisor on border policy, says that they are considering their options among several possible detention facilities. He emphasized that state efforts will not hinder their work. “The less detention space we have in California, the more action they take in not helping us with detention beds, then we’ll just simply move them out of state.”
Private enforcement, detention and removal companies have benefited from the current environment. According to a recent financial statement, the number of ICE detainees at CoreCivic facilities nationwide has increased by over 2,000 in the first quarter of 2025. Chief Executive Damon Hininger told shareholders that due to the Trump administration’s policies, “We anticipate significant growth opportunities, perhaps the most significant growth in our company’s history over the next several years.”