ICE carries out immigration raids across nation
A U.S. Air Force jet deported 80 migrants shackled at their wrists and ankles to Guatemala on Thursday, detouring around Mexican airspace because U.S. military overflights require more advance notice than the Trump administration can give as it rapidly accelerates deportations.
LOS ANGELES – The Trump administration is using federal prisons to detain some individuals arrested in its immigration crackdown, according to the Associated Press. The Bureau of Prisons confirmed the practice on Friday but did not disclose how many detainees are being held or where.
This strategy was also used during Trump’s first term. The Associated Press reports that the move comes as the administration ramps up deportation efforts while ICE faces capacity limitations in its detention facilities.
Why are federal prisons holding immigration detainees?
The backstory:
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed it is assisting ICE “by housing detainees and will continue to support our law enforcement partners to fulfill the administration’s policy objectives.” However, it did not disclose how many people are in custody or which facilities are being used.
Sources familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that federal jails in Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia, as well as federal prisons in Atlanta, Leavenworth, Kansas, and Berlin, New Hampshire, are housing detainees. The Miami jail alone is set to receive up to 500 people.
How does this impact the federal prison system?
By the numbers:
The influx of immigration detainees adds pressure to the Bureau of Prisons, which has been struggling with staffing shortages and overcrowding.
The agency, which oversees 122 facilities and 155,000 inmates, has already announced plans to close one prison and idle six prison camps due to limited resources. Now, it is relocating staff from other facilities to assist with immigrant detention.
An ongoing AP investigation has highlighted severe understaffing, violence, and misconduct within the federal prison system, raising concerns about how well it can handle additional detainees.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents knock on the door of a residence during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
What are the legal and human rights concerns?
The other side:
The use of federal prisons for immigrant detention has a controversial history. During Trump’s first term, up to 1,600 immigrants were housed in federal facilities, leading to allegations of inhumane treatment.
A 2018 lawsuit by six asylum seekers detained at a California prison accused officials of providing inedible meals, restricting religious practices, and failing to provide adequate medical care. That lawsuit targeted Trump, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and multiple federal agencies.
Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Bureau of Prisons and ICE for records related to past immigration detentions. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Feb. 28.
How does this fit into Trump’s broader immigration plan?
What’s next:
Trump has vowed to deport millions of people living in the U.S. illegally, though ICE currently has the budget to detain only about 41,000 people at a time. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that more than 8,000 people have been arrested in immigration enforcement actions since Trump took office on Jan. 20.
As part of the administration’s detention expansion, a second group of detainees was flown to Guantanamo Bay, drawing backlash from immigration rights groups.
Meanwhile, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has offered to house U.S. immigration detainees in his country’s massive prison system. Trump has said he is open to the idea but acknowledged legal challenges.
The Source: This article is based on reporting from the Associated Press.
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