ICE Considers Putting Detainees in Warehouses Built for Amazon

The Trump administration is looking into dramatically expanding its immigrant detention capacity by retrofitting unused warehouses, originally built for companies like Amazon, into what officials are calling "mega detention centers." Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering purchasing large installations—some more than double the size of those ICE uses now—particularly in southern parts of the country near major airports to streamline deportations, NBC News reports. If the deals go through, ICE would own and operate the centers directly.

The money would come from the budget package that President Trump signed earlier this year, a White House official said. The allocation for immigrant detention grew by $45 billion over the next three years, per Forbes. Officials stressed that Amazon has no involvement in the potential deals; the warehouses were built by developers with Amazon in mind but were never leased or used by the company. This move is the latest in a series of unconventional efforts by the administration to increase detention and deportation capacity, following previous attempts to use military bases or large-scale tent facilities that have faced logistical issues. ICE has struggled with meeting the administration's arrest quotas.