New documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit have revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actively reviewing proposals from private companies to expand immigration detention facilities in at least six states, including California, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington.
Private companies, including CoreCivic, GEO Group, and Management & Training Corporation, submitted proposals for facilities that could collectively add between 6,650 and 12,000 detention beds nationwide. Some of the proposed sites have faced past criticism for unsafe or unsanitary conditions, including the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Kansas and the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico.
ICE’s request, as detailed in the documents, said the agency was seeking an inventory of potentially thousands of beds, mostly for men, but also for women, from public or private entities, though it had no immediate plans to sign contracts…