Beyond Alcatraz: Trump’s Push To Reopen Prisons For Immigration Detention

The Trump management is moving to reopen and repurpose shuttered detention facilities crossed nan country, reviving sites antecedently closed because of information violations, staffing shortages and ineligible challenges arsenic it expands migration enforcement efforts. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained 47,928 migrants arsenic of April 6, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse data — a 39% summation from a twelvemonth earlier.

The description is bolstered by a January 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump reversing a Biden-era policy that barred nan Department of Justice from partnering pinch backstage situation contractors, immoderate of which were accused of holding detainees successful substandard facilities. Trump’s bid allowed national agencies to resume contracts pinch firms for illustration GEO Group and CoreCivic to run detention centers.

Beyond ICE’s network, nan national Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is besides nether unit to support nan administration’s detention directive, moreover arsenic it faces a $3 cardinal repair backlog. More than 4,000 beds are unusable because of unsafe conditions specified arsenic mold, asbestos and structural collapse, The Associated Press reported.

Despite these constraints, BOP activity said it would “vigorously prosecute each avenues” to transportation retired Trump’s detention directive — including an appraisal of nan feasibility of reopening Alcatraz. The aging prison connected an land successful San Francisco Bay has constricted h2o and energy work and has protected landmark position nether nan National Park Service.

Critics person called nan Alcatraz scheme unrealistic and redundant, pointing to nan island’s logistical hurdles and historical status.

ICE and its backstage contractors scheme to reopen aged detention accommodation successful astatine slightest 5 states.

• In California, ICE has signaled nan usage of nan antecedently shuttered Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin. The installation housed 630 inmates. No charismatic day has been group for reopening.

• In Michigan, GEO Group is reviving North Lake Correctional Facility, which tin location up to 1,800 people. It has been dormant since its 2022 closure nether the Biden administration. The installation has been reopened and closed 4 times. Within a fewer months, GEO and ICE expect to finalize a semipermanent contract, according to a GEO Group statement. The institution expects to make $70 cardinal successful nan first twelvemonth of operation.

• In Kansas, CoreCivic is pursuing nan reopening of nan Midwest Regional Reception Center successful Leavenworth. In a letter to nan city’s readying and improvement director, CoreCivic said it plans to location 1,000 detainees.

• In Texas, CoreCivic signed a $246 cardinal contract to reopen nan South Texas Family Residential Center successful Dilley. The installation will person a capacity of 2,400. Also successful Texas, ICE is reopening 600 beds astatine Karnes County Residential Center successful Karnes City. Both detention centers will location families.

• In New Jersey, GEO Group has reopened Delaney Hall successful Newark nether a 15-year, $1.2 cardinal statement pinch ICE. This restores a 1,100-bed installation antecedently closed amid ineligible and information concerns. ICE began housing detainees connected May 1.

What concerns person been raised astir nan detention facilities?

Federal investigations, reports of abuse, precocious operational costs and unsafe conditions antecedently led authorities to adjacent galore of nan accommodation now scheduled to reopen.

FCI Dublin closed successful 2024 aft allegations of systemic intersexual maltreatment and hazardous conditions while it operated connected an $8 cardinal yearly budget.

At North Lake, erstwhile detainees held a hunger onslaught successful 2020 complete denied entree to ineligible message and nutrient that conformed to belief beliefs, arsenic good arsenic reports of retaliation, Interlochen Public Radio reported.

And a national judge erstwhile described nan Leavenworth situation arsenic a “hell hole,” citing chronic violence, understaffing and denial of basal services, according to nan Missouri Independent.

A national watchdog review of 17 ICE sites betwixt 2020 and 2023 identified wide violations of medical, information and biology standards. Since fiscal twelvemonth 2018, 65 ICE detainees person died successful custody, the agency said.

How are backstage situation firms supporting this description ?

In fiscal twelvemonth 2024, Congress funded 41,500 ICE detention beds, nan astir ever.

The management intends to detain arsenic galore arsenic 100,000 immigrants, much than double nan existent number. GEO Group and CoreCivic, nan 2 largest backstage situation contractors successful nan United States, person go cardinal partners successful nan national government’s effort to standard up detention capacity. Together, according to The Washington Post, nan companies power astatine slightest 16 idle facilities.

Many of them, pinch nan correct contracts and staffing, could reopen wrong months. GEO executives told The Post that ICE hopes to spot detainees successful each 7 of nan company’s idle accommodation by year’s extremity — a full of astir 17,000. CoreCivic said it is successful progressive talks pinch ICE and different national agencies to reopen aliases grow aggregate sites and could standard up capacity by arsenic galore arsenic 28,000 beds.

Private situation banal surge

Since Election Day successful 2024, GEO Group’s shares person increased by 81% while CoreCivic’s banal is up 50%.

GEO Group’s banal valuation reached $4 billion arsenic of March 2025, according to ProPublica, pinch nan company’s laminitis and executive chairman, George Zoley, telling investors it is “built for this unsocial moment,” forecasting continued gross maturation tied to national migration enforcement.

How is nan management utilizing subject bases?

Beyond reopening shuttered prisons, nan management is besides placing migration detainees successful progressive subject facilities.

Military officials person expanded detention operations astatine sites for illustration Fort Bliss, headquartered successful El Paso, Texas. There, a recently designated National Defense Area allows U.S. troops to clasp migrants suspected of unlawful entry.

At nan aforesaid time, nan management ended its short-lived effort to detain migrants astatine Guantánamo Bay Naval Base successful Cuba, transferring nan past group successful March pursuing ineligible challenges and wide criticism. Civil authorities groups, including nan ACLU, sued for accusation connected conditions astatine nan facility, citing mediocre curen and constricted entree to ineligible counsel.

Although nan tract is nary longer being utilized for migrant detention, those lawsuits are ongoing arsenic advocates activity ineligible guarantees to forestall early usage of nan installation for migration enforcement.

What ineligible challenges are emerging?

The description of detention has triggered lawsuits and argumentation clashes crossed nan country.

In New Jersey, authorities officials are appealing nan tribunal ruling that blocked nan enforcement of a 2021 authorities rule that banned ICE detention contracts pinch backstage companies. That authorities law, signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, aimed to forestall nationalist and backstage entities from entering aliases renewing specified contracts. CoreCivic, which operates nan Elizabeth Detention Center, sued nan state, arguing nan rule violated nan Supremacy Clause by obstructing national migration enforcement.

On May 1, nan 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments successful nan case, pinch judges sharply questioning some sides connected nan law’s scope and imaginable impact.

New Jersey maintained that nan rule restricts contracting, not detention itself, while CoreCivic and DOJ attorneys based on that it would severely hamper migration enforcement operations successful nan state.

A determination is still pending.

The metropolis of Leavenworth revenge a suit against CoreCivic, alleging nan institution reopened a backstage migration detention halfway without securing nan necessary permits.

What comes adjacent for nan detention system?

Despite sweeping directives and expanded contracts, nan Trump administration’s detention run faces mounting guidance and logistical limits. ICE arrests surged successful nan administration’s first weeks, peaking successful precocious January, but person since declined to nether 600 per day, good beneath nan stated daily extremity of 1,200 to 1,500, according to The Washington Post.

At nan aforesaid time, nan Department of Homeland Security is seeking up to $45 cardinal successful caller backstage contracts to quickly standard up detention capacity. ICE posted a sweeping petition for proposals successful April, calling for contractors to supply detention facilities, security, proscription and aesculapian services. While nan agency hasn’t secured nan backing yet, it system nan broad contracts to let for accelerated description if Congress approves Republican-backed fund increases.

To support this description , DHS requested much than $175 cardinal successful discretionary funding for fiscal twelvemonth 2026. According to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s legislature grounds and nan charismatic fund document, this includes billions for caller separator barriers, expanded Coast Guard interdiction and surveillance systems.

GEO Group and CoreCivic executives opportunity they stay successful adjacent interaction pinch nan management and are fresh to reopen much sites. But civilian authorities groups pass that scaling up detention without reforms could worsen conditions, agelong ICE’s resources and repetition past abuses, particularly arsenic national audits and rising detainee deaths proceed to raise concerns.