Much of the attention around the Trump administration’s immigration policy in the US has focused on arrests and deportations. But a significant part of the crackdown is unfolding away from public view inside the detention centres that hold immigrants after they are taken into custody, CNN reported.
Those facilities, which already house tens of thousands of people, are now expanding quickly as federal authorities prepare for what they describe as the largest deportation effort in American history. The push has brought new scrutiny to a system that has long faced criticism from advocacy groups and lawmakers over living conditions and medical care.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the expansion is necessary to handle the rising number of people being detained. Critics argue it risks worsening an already strained system.
Detention numbers are rising sharply
The number of immigrants being held in ICE custody has climbed dramatically since Trump returned to office. There are now roughly 70,000 detainees in immigration detention, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. That represents an increase of more than 80 percent from the number being held when the administration began.
Advocates say the surge reflects not just more arrests but also policy decisions that make it harder for detainees to be released while their immigration cases move through the courts. The system itself has expanded alongside those numbers.
ICE documents indicate there are now more than 200 facilities across the country where detainees are being held, roughly double the number in use shortly before the end of the previous administration. Federal officials say additional capacity will still be needed.
Families and children again being detained
Another controversial shift is the return of family detention. The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, which previously held migrant families during earlier administrations, has once again become a central site for detaining parents and children together.
The facility had stopped housing families during the Biden administration. But the Trump administration restarted the practice in 2025. Recent reporting suggests hundreds of families are now being held there, though the US Department of Homeland Security has not provided updated figures on the number of children in custody.
Medical professionals and child welfare experts have long warned that detention can be harmful for children. US government officials maintain that the facilities provide safety, medical care and educational resources while families wait for their immigration cases to be processed.
Deaths in custody are drawing scrutiny
The growing detention population has coincided with a rise in deaths among detainees, raising alarms among lawmakers and advocacy groups.
ICE reported that at least 31 people died in immigration detention last year, the highest number recorded since 2004. In the first few months of this year alone, at least 11 deaths have already been reported. Critics say the trend reflects serious problems inside detention facilities, including
delayed medical care and poor living conditions.
The Department of Homeland Security disputes those claims, arguing that the overall rate of deaths has remained stable even as the number of detainees has increased. Officials say detainees receive medical care, food and other services that meet federal standards.
Still, some incidents have drawn particular attention. At Fort Bliss in Texas, where a large tent facility houses thousands of detainees, several deaths have been reported.
In one case, a medical examiner ruled a detainee’s death a homicide after witnesses said guards pinned the man to the ground. DHS has said the detainee was resisting staff during an attempted intervention.
Warehouses being converted into detention centres
To create more capacity, ICE is pursuing a plan that has surprised many local communities. The agency has begun purchasing large warehouses across the country with the intention of converting them into detention facilities.
Documents outlining the project describe a new detention model built around massive processing centres. Some of the proposed facilities would hold between 7,000 and 10,000 detainees at a time, while smaller regional sites could process up to 1,500 people.
So far, warehouses have been purchased in multiple states including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and Arizona. Federal officials say the converted facilities will meet detention standards and have undergone community impact studies. But some local leaders say they were caught off guard by the plans and worry the sites could strain local water systems, infrastructure and emergency services.
In at least one case in New Hampshire, community opposition led federal officials to abandon plans for a detention centre.
Oversight of detention facilities shrinking
At the same time the detention system is growing, the government offices responsible for oversight have been reduced. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which investigates complaints about conditions in detention facilities, has seen its
staffing sharply cut. The office had more than 140 employees when Trump took office. Court documents now show fewer than 40 remain.
Advocates say the cuts mean fewer investigations into allegations of abuse or poor treatment inside detention centres. Federal officials argue the office is still carrying out its required duties while
operating more efficiently.
Lawmakers have also complained about limited access to the facilities. A federal judge recently ordered the government to allow members of US Congress to conduct unannounced inspections of detention centres, though ICE is appealing that ruling.
For critics of the detention system, the combination of rapid expansion and reduced
oversight is particularly troubling.
What is happening inside the country’s immigration detention network, they argue, is
largely hidden from public view — even as the system grows larger than ever before.
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