Although immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) has brought an increase in illegal immigrant arrests President Donald TrumpThe agency is now struggling with space restrictions for detained criminal migrants.
“It has these elevated goals, with large numbers, and absolutely no lack of trying and a lack of trouble trying to realize that, but is confronted with practical issues,” said Héctor Quirog, a specialized immigration lawyer at the Quiroga Law Office in Spokane, Washington, Fox News.
“Number one, we have problems with how many detention centers and how many beds are available,” he said. “Because some people like it or not, some people have to have an hearing and they have to wait somewhere. So we have capacity problems.”
Ice officers arrested seven illegal immigrants during a raid on a workforce. (American immigration and customs enforcement)
Since President Trump resumed the office on January 20, ice has considerably Intensive enforcement operations.
On January 23, ICE conducted coordinated raids in large American cities, which resulted in the detention of 538 people. The subsequent operations have continued at a rapid pace; For example, on January 29, ICE 956 people arrested, which marked the highest daily arrest citizen under the Trump administration.
During the first month of President Trump’s second term, around 8,276 people were arrested by immigration officers. ​
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House while he signs executive orders, March 6, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
Congress, in FY 2024, financed ice with 41,500 beds, which cost around $ 3.4 billion every year.
In the December 2024 annual reportICE stated that it had “relatively static bedroom”, which “forces the agency to give carefully priority to who holds it.”
“You must have some priorities,” said Quirog. “Who am I stuck and who am I freeing? Well, I want to hold people who have criminal registers and the others are released on single bracelets or have to check in.”
“Detention and beds and who we are going to keep are practical problems with which the administration will be confronted fairly quickly if you want to reach the figures they promise in the campaign,” he said.
An American flag blows behind a fence with Concertina thread in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. (Maren Hemnemuth/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
A Gallup survey Released at the start of the Trump government showed that 68% of Americans predicts that Trump will control illegal immigration. Only 28% of the respondents said he would not.
Despite optimism, the administration has had to deal with space restrictions. A NBC News report noted that some were released under the supervisory order, such as the use of GPS tags.
The current restrictions have led civil servants to set up tents on the American naval station in Guantánamo Bay. Two American defense officials, however, said Fox News that none of the 195 beds were used to accommodate migrants because they do not meet ICE standards.
Trump’s plan to house migrants in Guantánamo Bay against large obstacles
From Wednesday, only 20 migrants were held on the base. Sixteen “illegal aliens with a high threat” are held in the detention facility part of the base, also known as camp 6, and four migrants are held in a backup facility due to the inadequacy of the tents.
DHS and ICE have not responded to questions about which criteria are used to evaluate whether a migrant is a high threat.
ICE is conducting flights to remove illegal immigrants from the US and back to their home country. (Ice Seattle)
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ICE has said it will require an extra $ 3 billion because of an additional 60,000 detention beds. The extra beds are partially driven by the passage of the Cloth Riley ActIt requires that the DHS holds illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft -related crimes.
“Since the Riley Act sheets requires ERO immediately holding those non-citizens, ERO would then require at least 64,000 additional detention beds; however, this does not take into account other immigration enforcement mandates that can make a need for an increased detention capacity,” said a letter from ICE, in response to questions by Rep. Mike Collins, R-GA.
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In the congress, the Republicans are preparing for significant financing changes through the Budget coordination process. Border protection and enforcement of the interior would probably be top priorities for Republicans, given the fame of the issues in the 2024 elections.
Fox News Digital has contacted Ice, DHS and the White House for comment.
Fox News’ Liz Friden and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
