ICE Reverses Plan to Detain Migrants in Mega-Warehouses (1)

June 18, 2026, 11:27 PM UTC

The Department of Homeland Security is backing away from a controversial plan to turn empty warehouses into immigration detention centers and will keep relying largely on existing jails run by private contractors and state and local partners.

The decision marks a sharp retreat from one of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s signature immigration initiatives, a proposal that sought to create a network of government-owned detention facilities capable of holding nearly 100,000 immigrants awaiting deportation, with some set to start operating this year.

“From day one, DHS has remained singularly focused on removing the worst of the worst criminal ...

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