Government documents quietly posted to a New Hampshire procurement web-site reveal the Trump administration’s blueprint for the single largest expansion of immigration detention in U.S. history. The internal ICE presentation, dated February 13, outlines a $38.3 billion, multi-year programme to purchase 16 regional warehouses and convert them into processing centres, plus eight new large-scale detention complexes capable of holding up to 10,000 people each. The centres would be operational by late 2026, more than doubling current capacity.
ICE says the goal is to create a "safe, humane civil detention" pipeline that can move apprehended migrants from local arrest to deportation within 60 days on average. Processing centres would hold detainees three to seven days for medical exams, biometrics and initial asylum screenings before transfer to the larger hubs. Each hub would include video-court rooms, remote interpretation suites and space for 60 plus consular officers. Officials argue the design will cut transport costs and reduce county-jail contracting that has drawn human-rights criticism.
Advocacy groups and some state governors reacted with alarm, noting that the release coincides with a DHS funding lapse. They warn the build-out will lock in a detention-first model just as many Fortune 500 employers are lobbying for more employment-based visas and parole pathways. Labour economists also point to a potential $9 billion hit to GDP if large numbers of work-authorized migrants are removed from the workforce.
![Leaked plan shows $38 billion ICE build-out of new detention network by 2026]()
In this fluid environment, individuals and employers who need to secure or extend lawful U.S. status can turn to VisaHQ for streamlined, expert assistance. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) guides applicants through each step of visa and passport processing, provides real-time updates, and helps ensure that documentation is correct—reducing the risk of costly delays or enforcement complications.
For companies that sponsor H-1B, L-1 or TN employees, an enlarged detention estate raises the stakes of routine status lapses or traffic-stop referrals to ICE. Mobility leaders should review I-9 audit readiness, ensure staff know their rights if questioned, and monitor whether proposed facilities are sited near key talent hubs. Local communities near the planned Merrimack, New Hampshire pilot site are already debating zoning, water usage and the impact on housing markets – issues that may replicate nationwide as sites are announced.
Congressional Democrats have requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into whether ICE can commit to billions in future obligations during a shutdown. Until lawmakers act, the documents provide the clearest picture yet of how immigration enforcement infrastructure – and the compliance environment for employers – could transform over the next 24 months.
ICE says the goal is to create a "safe, humane civil detention" pipeline that can move apprehended migrants from local arrest to deportation within 60 days on average. Processing centres would hold detainees three to seven days for medical exams, biometrics and initial asylum screenings before transfer to the larger hubs. Each hub would include video-court rooms, remote interpretation suites and space for 60 plus consular officers. Officials argue the design will cut transport costs and reduce county-jail contracting that has drawn human-rights criticism.
Advocacy groups and some state governors reacted with alarm, noting that the release coincides with a DHS funding lapse. They warn the build-out will lock in a detention-first model just as many Fortune 500 employers are lobbying for more employment-based visas and parole pathways. Labour economists also point to a potential $9 billion hit to GDP if large numbers of work-authorized migrants are removed from the workforce.
In this fluid environment, individuals and employers who need to secure or extend lawful U.S. status can turn to VisaHQ for streamlined, expert assistance. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) guides applicants through each step of visa and passport processing, provides real-time updates, and helps ensure that documentation is correct—reducing the risk of costly delays or enforcement complications.
For companies that sponsor H-1B, L-1 or TN employees, an enlarged detention estate raises the stakes of routine status lapses or traffic-stop referrals to ICE. Mobility leaders should review I-9 audit readiness, ensure staff know their rights if questioned, and monitor whether proposed facilities are sited near key talent hubs. Local communities near the planned Merrimack, New Hampshire pilot site are already debating zoning, water usage and the impact on housing markets – issues that may replicate nationwide as sites are announced.
Congressional Democrats have requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into whether ICE can commit to billions in future obligations during a shutdown. Until lawmakers act, the documents provide the clearest picture yet of how immigration enforcement infrastructure – and the compliance environment for employers – could transform over the next 24 months.
