All articles tagged with #detention centers
EU lawmakers approved a plan to facilitate the creation of detention centers outside the bloc as part of its migration policy, aiming to streamline asylum processing and reduce arrivals, while critics warn the externalization approach could undermine human rights protections and EU asylum guarantees.
ICE is rapidly expanding detention capacity with billions in funding and a hub-and-spoke plan that could reach up to 100,000 beds, spurring broad local opposition over costs, infrastructure, and ethics, while some communities anticipate economic benefits and private operators like GEO Group and CoreCivic profit from the contracts.
ICE is drafting a move to terminate the contract for Camp East Montana and shutter the $1.2 billion detention camp near El Paso after it opened in 2025 amid deadly incidents and numerous federal-standards violations; DHS says it is reviewing the facility but has not announced contract actions, even as the administration pushes a broader expansion plan to repurpose warehouses into mass detention hubs.
Two New Hampshire senators introduced a bill to bar DHS from opening new immigration processing sites or detention centers without consent from the state governor and local officials, citing community concerns like those in Merrimack. A House companion bill was filed, and the measure would require 30 days of public comment and congressional notification. Democrats say it responds to local pushback against the administration’s detention-center plans, but Republicans largely back the deportation agenda and the bill faces slim odds in a Republican-controlled Congress, though some GOP lawmakers have voiced concerns about site proposals.
Six migrants died in ICE custody in Texas over six weeks, including at the Camp East Montana tent facility, prompting renewed scrutiny of medical care, oversight, and plans to expand detention capacity in the state.
Cardinal Cupich led an outdoor Ash Wednesday Mass in Melrose Park for thousands, tying Lent to the plight of immigrant families facing detention and deportation. The event came after a federal judge ordered DHS to allow clergy access to the Broadview ICE facility, reflecting ongoing faith-led efforts by CSPL and others to provide pastoral care inside detention centers and to uphold human dignity amid enforcement actions.
Faber‑Castell, the world’s largest pencil maker, says Costa Rica misused its donated former factory (Maderin Eco/Catem site) by detaining 200 asylum seekers deported from the United States, a move HRW and rights groups say lacked legal basis. Costa Rica denies rights violations, while a court later found the detention violated fundamental rights and ordered potential compensation. The Catem facility, with a 300-person capacity, had around 60 migrants in early 2026 and none reported by late January; Faber‑Castell says it was unaware of the detention and is considering next steps.
Rep. Tony Gonzales defended the Dilley, Texas immigration detention center amid a measles outbreak and activist criticism, calling the facility 'nice' and arguing for humane enforcement of immigration laws; the discussion touched on asylum policy, DHS funding, and proposals like body cameras and judicial warrants.
The Trump administration aims to expand immigration detention by converting warehouses into detention facilities in 23 towns across eight states, potentially housing up to 80,000 detainees as part of a $45 billion ICE expansion. The plan has sparked protests and bipartisan opposition even in Trump-voting areas (Virginia, Oklahoma, New Jersey), with polling showing broad skepticism of large detention centers. The fate of the initiative remains uncertain as communities push back and officials reassess deals.
ICE bought a ~520,000-square-foot warehouse in Upper Bern Township, Berks County, for $87.4 million to convert into an immigration detention facility with up to about 1,500 beds, part of a broader plan to convert multiple facilities; the deal has drawn local concerns about property tax losses and security, while officials await more information from federal authorities.
A federal judge in San Antonio ordered the immediate release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from ICE detention in Texas after they were detained in Minnesota, criticizing the Trump administration’s quotas-based enforcement as traumatizing to children. Biery had previously ruled they could not be removed for now; the father has a pending asylum claim, and the case drew protests and renewed scrutiny of detention conditions at a Texas facility holding about 1,100 detainees.
California lawmakers unveiled a slate of measures to curb federal immigration enforcement, including making it easier to sue federal agents for civil rights violations (the No Kings Act), banning local officers from moonlighting as federal immigration agents, shielding courthouses from immigration arrests, and imposing a 50% tax on profits from detention centers; supporters say the state can take practical steps to protect immigrant communities, while Republicans argue it oversteps federal priorities.
Dozens of immigrant families protested behind the fences of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, demanding humane treatment as a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father detained in Minnesota were held there; chants of 'Libertad' echoed as an immigration attorney described the disruption, amid broader national tensions over detention policy tied to the Flores Settlement. The center, reopened after political shifts, has faced safety criticisms, and Texas leads in ICE arrests and detention facilities, with four detainee deaths reported in recent weeks.
A federal judge in Washington declined to block DHS’s seven-day notice requirement for lawmakers to visit immigration detention facilities, saying the plaintiffs must revise their lawsuit to directly address the agency’s new funding rationale; the policy, reintroduced after a prior block, remains in effect while the suit is narrowed.
The Trump administration has accelerated the reopening of shuttered prisons, many with troubled pasts, to detain over 65,000 immigrants, raising concerns about poor conditions and oversight, especially as private prison companies profit from these facilities.