A leaked internal memorandum, first published by analyst Adam Isacson on 20 February, reveals that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to spend US$38.3 billion of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” border-security windfall on a “Detention Reengineering Initiative.” ICE would buy ten existing prisons and construct 24 new facilities—eight converted warehouses holding up to 10,000 migrants each for up to 60 days and sixteen regional processing centres holding 1,000–1,500 detainees for three- to seven-day triage. The goal is to hit 100,000 daily detention beds by December 2026, a near-doubling of current capacity.
The memo dropped the same day the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a July 2025 DHS directive requiring that anyone who ever crossed the border without inspection be detained without bond until their immigration case is decided. Legal scholars warn the ruling could expose millions—including long-time U.S. residents with pending asylum claims—to prolonged detention.
The revelations land amid a partial DHS shutdown: Congress has failed to pass FY-2026 funding while Senate Democrats demand reforms such as judicial warrants for home raids and nationwide body-camera use. Because ICE and CBP operations are back-stopped by the 2025 security megabill, most enforcement activities continue, but hiring, oversight and payroll systems are strained.
![Leaked plan shows ICE rushing to build mega-warehouses as Fifth Circuit upholds no-bond detention rule]()
In this shifting enforcement landscape, VisaHQ can help companies and individuals stay compliant by offering up-to-date visa guidance, document preparation, and filing support. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) provides real-time status tracking and dedicated account management, giving global-mobility teams an added layer of confidence as U.S. immigration rules tighten.
For global-mobility managers the expansion has two immediate implications. First, employees or spouses who have ever entered unlawfully—even if years ago—now face mandatory custody if stopped by ICE, complicating green-card and H-1B extensions. Second, worksite-inspection risk is rising as ICE hires thousands of new agents; companies should audit I-9 files and ensure their remote-verification policies comply with the post-Covid flexibilities that expired last year.
Human-rights groups are urging corporations to condition service contracts on humane detention standards and to support legislative efforts to reinstate bond hearings. With Congress divided, any near-term fix is unlikely, meaning mobility teams must plan for an enforcement environment unprecedented in scale since the 1950s.
The memo dropped the same day the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a July 2025 DHS directive requiring that anyone who ever crossed the border without inspection be detained without bond until their immigration case is decided. Legal scholars warn the ruling could expose millions—including long-time U.S. residents with pending asylum claims—to prolonged detention.
The revelations land amid a partial DHS shutdown: Congress has failed to pass FY-2026 funding while Senate Democrats demand reforms such as judicial warrants for home raids and nationwide body-camera use. Because ICE and CBP operations are back-stopped by the 2025 security megabill, most enforcement activities continue, but hiring, oversight and payroll systems are strained.
In this shifting enforcement landscape, VisaHQ can help companies and individuals stay compliant by offering up-to-date visa guidance, document preparation, and filing support. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) provides real-time status tracking and dedicated account management, giving global-mobility teams an added layer of confidence as U.S. immigration rules tighten.
For global-mobility managers the expansion has two immediate implications. First, employees or spouses who have ever entered unlawfully—even if years ago—now face mandatory custody if stopped by ICE, complicating green-card and H-1B extensions. Second, worksite-inspection risk is rising as ICE hires thousands of new agents; companies should audit I-9 files and ensure their remote-verification policies comply with the post-Covid flexibilities that expired last year.
Human-rights groups are urging corporations to condition service contracts on humane detention standards and to support legislative efforts to reinstate bond hearings. With Congress divided, any near-term fix is unlikely, meaning mobility teams must plan for an enforcement environment unprecedented in scale since the 1950s.
