ICE Plans to Use Industrial Warehouses to House 80,000 Undocumented Immigrants

The Trump administration has unveiled a comprehensive plan to utilize former industrial warehouses as large-scale detention centers capable of housing up to 80,000 undocumented immigrants across multiple states.

“Every weekday afternoon, dozens of kids pour out of small buses for the after-school program at a dance studio here, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta”

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This initiative represents a significant expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity, moving away from the current practice of transferring detainees to wherever space is available.

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According to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post, ICE aims to accelerate deportations by concentrating migrants in processing centers before transferring them to these new facilities.

The plan involves converting industrial warehouses into detention centers with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 people each, along with smaller processing centers holding 500 to 1,500 individuals.

The proposed warehouse detention centers would be strategically located across multiple states, with most sites situated in Republican-governed areas despite the politically sensitive nature of these facilities.

According to The Washington Post, large-scale detention centers are planned for six states: Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri.

Conexión Migrante

Specific locations include Hutchins and Baytown in Texas; Hammond in Louisiana; Glendale in Arizona; and Social Circle in Georgia.

Additionally, two facilities would be located in cities administered by Democratic officials: Stafford, Virginia, and Kansas City, Missouri.

The larger warehouses would each accommodate between 5,000 and 10,000 detainees, while 16 smaller processing centers with capacities of 500 to 1,500 people would be established in locations such as Chester (New York), Salt Lake City, and Los Fresnos, Texas.

The implementation of these warehouse detention centers has sparked significant local opposition and political controversy across multiple states.

“ATLANTA, Georgia (Telemundo Atlanta) - El gobierno del presidente Donald Trump contempla un plan para utilizar almacenes industriales para albergar a más de 80,000 inmigrantes indocumentados, de acuerdo con The Washington Post”

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Local officials have been caught by surprise, with communities scrambling for answers as the plans move forward with little notice and no public hearings.

In Mississippi, Republican Senator Roger Wicker pushed back against a proposed DHS plan to purchase a warehouse for detention, citing strain on local infrastructure and economic opportunities, which led DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to agree to look elsewhere.

Maryland has filed a lawsuit over similar plans, while Arizona officials express concern that the warehouse-turned-center risks being a drain on the economy and local resources.

The political crosscurrents are particularly evident in places like Hall County, Georgia, which voted 71.4% for Trump in the 2024 presidential election yet has one of the highest Latino populations in the state, with about 30% of residents identifying as Latino or Hispanic.

The Trump administration is moving rapidly to implement this warehouse detention plan through multimillion-dollar contracts with private contractors to retrofit existing facilities.

According to sources familiar with the contracts, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem planned to proceed with four multimillion-dollar contracts to retrofit warehouses in Surprise, Arizona; Hamburg, Pennsylvania; Tremont, Pennsylvania; and Williamsport, Maryland.

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Two of those contracts have been publicly listed, though it remains unclear if or when the Pennsylvania warehouses will move forward.

The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that ICE has signed contracts for facilities in Arizona and Maryland, with DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis stating that these facilities will be designed as 'full-service campuses' to include immigration hearing rooms, intake and screening, medical services, access to counsel, religious services, recreational areas, technology for virtual communication with family, food, hygiene products and full-case processing capability.

However, an internal email obtained by The Washington Post indicates that the draft plan is still subject to change and ICE plans to share it with private detention companies to evaluate their interest and refine the plan further.

This warehouse detention expansion is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to dramatically accelerate deportation efforts and reduce costs associated with immigrant detention.

The plan explicitly aims to reduce costs, streamline processing times, limit the duration of stays, accelerate deportations, and promote safety, dignity, and respect for detainees.

Conexión Migrante

To this end, the facilities would be equipped with housing areas that include showers, restrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, recreational spaces, and even libraries.

This initiative comes amid unprecedented deportation statistics, with figures from the Department of Homeland Security showing that since January 20, 2025, the United States has deported more than 605,000 migrants.

The warehouse approach represents a shift in ICE's detention strategy, moving away from reliance on third-party owned facilities toward direct government ownership of properties across the country, as stated by DHS officials.