ICE maps out a $38B plan to build a nationwide detention network

ICE unveiled a plan to spend about $38.3 billion in 2026 to build eight mega detention centers, 16 processing centers, and ten additional facilities, creating capacity for roughly 92,600 detainees. Processing centers would hold 1,000–1,500 people for 3–7 days, while larger sites would house 7,000–10,000 for about 60 days as the primary locations for deportations. The plan would shift ICE to owning detention sites and hiring contractors to operate them, part of a broader effort to expand the deportation pipeline and fulfill deportation pledges, but it faces local pushback and questions about feasibility. In Merrimack, NH, retrofitting and operation are estimated at $300 million over three years, with about 1,252 jobs created. Critics warn of humanitarian concerns and practicality of housing so many detainees in single sites.