Federal immigration detention centers are currently at capacity. The Trump administration is looking to ramp up its mass deportation efforts, housing about 53,000 undocumented immigrants. However, sources indicate that ICE is in urgent need of additional funding to continue these activities.
The number of undocumented immigrants in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement exceeds the capacity that Congress has funded. Consequently, plans are reportedly underway to open more facilities to increase the number of available detention beds.
In 2024, Congress allocated funds for roughly 41,500 ICE beds at an estimated cost of around $3.4 billion, according to the American Association of Immigration Bars. Yet, the total number of beds currently available has not been disclosed.
Agents are actively seeking more facilities through partnerships with private prison contractors and the Department of Defense to accommodate more detainees, as per sources.
If the Republican “Big Beautiful Bill” passes in the Senate, it is said that ICE could receive $45 billion, providing a significant boost to its capacity to detain individuals.
Reports suggest that during a meeting on May 21, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressed frustration over the speed of arrests. They encouraged agents to increase daily arrests to over 3,000.
The Trump administration had initially set a goal of 1,800 arrests per day in January. As a result, daily arrests surged from about 1,600 last week to approximately 2,200 this week, according to sources.
However, an agency source described this pace as “unsustainable.”
Dealing with each person present unlawfully takes hours, and this high demand is reportedly affecting the morale of the agents.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has intensified raids targeting individuals leaving immigration courts, particularly those with final deportation orders attending regular check-ins with ICE.
Photos captured Wednesday showed at least five undocumented immigrants being arrested after attending appointments close to Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. Masked federal agents detained these individuals as they left the Intensive Supervisory Appearance Program Office.
Last week, up to ten migrants were reported detained while leaving the Federal Immigration Court at 26 Federal Plaza. Additionally, on Tuesday afternoon, 16 more migrants were taken into custody from an unspecified office building in the same vicinity.
