Internal memo outlines plan for eight mega-centers, 92,000 beds, and faster processing of aliens with final removal orders.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
An internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memorandum proposes a sweeping restructuring of the agency’s detention system, calling for expanded capacity, standardized facilities, and accelerated removals of illegal aliens with final deportation orders, according to a Breitbart News report.
The February 13 memorandum, marked “For Official Use Only” and posted on the New Hampshire governor’s website, details a “detention reengineering” initiative designed to meet directives from President Donald Trump to significantly increase deportations. The document, available through the February 13 memo, outlines plans for eight large-scale detention “mega-centers,” each capable of holding up to 10,000 detainees. The total projected cost of the initiative is $38.3 billion, with completion targeted for late November.
Merrimack Nh Detention Reengineering Initiative Final by yourNEWS Media
The proposal calls for expanding national detention capacity to 92,000 beds. ICE officials anticipate that as approximately 12,000 new enforcement officers are deployed, the number of detainees will increase substantially, requiring a redesign of the agency’s current detention infrastructure.
ICE Director Todd Lyons testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that roughly 1.6 million illegal aliens in the United States currently have final orders of removal issued by Department of Justice immigration judges. According to reporting by Fox News, Lyons said approximately 800,000 of those individuals have criminal convictions. He added that nearly 17,000 individuals with final removal orders reside in Minnesota.
The memo states that the objective of the initiative is to secure “comprehensive services for the design, renovation, and operation of ICE-owned permanent structures,” converting them into processing and detention facilities used exclusively by ICE. The facilities are intended to ensure civil detention standards while supporting expanded deportation operations. Officials say the standardized layout and new features would allow surge capacity and long-term operational continuity.
Under the plan, ICE would establish two primary facility types. Regional Processing Centers would house an average daily population of 1,000 to 1,500 detainees for stays of three to seven days, serving as staging points for transfer or removal. Larger detention facilities would accommodate between 7,000 and 10,000 detainees for periods averaging under 60 days and serve as primary international removal hubs.
Officials state the facilities will comply with all existing detention standards and are intended to improve efficiency and reduce overall detention costs. The centers would provide food, clothing, hygiene products, bedding, recreation, medical and mental health care in coordination with ICE Health Services Corps, legal visitation access, law libraries, religious spaces compliant with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, communication services, and courtroom facilities. Operational components would include transportation, case processing, custodial services, information technology infrastructure, and facility management.
One proposed mega-center would be located in Hutchins, Texas. According to reporting by The Dallas Morning News, the facility would hold approximately 9,500 detainees and be situated about 10 miles south of Dallas. Hutchins Mayor Mario Vasquez has expressed opposition to the federal government’s purchase of a vacant warehouse site, stating there would be “no benefit to it whatsoever.”
A second large Texas facility is planned for El Paso, expected to house approximately 8,500 detainees. Reporting by El Paso Matters indicates the El Paso site would expand regional detention capacity to more than 13,000 individuals. A 5,000-bed center opened at Fort Bliss in August. Additional smaller facilities are planned in San Antonio and Los Fresnos.
In San Antonio, local opposition has also emerged. Reporting by News4SA noted concerns from Bexar County and city officials. District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte said, “They don’t have to comply with city zoning regulations or anything like that so again, the city doesn’t have any power at all to dictate what the property can or can’t be used for.” Councilwoman Phylis Viagran of District 3 stated the city should not assume additional responsibility for federal immigration policies.
Governor Kelly Ayotte has not publicly taken a position on a proposed regional processing center in Merrimack, and her office has not issued formal comment regarding support for its construction.
The detention reengineering initiative now moves from internal planning to broader public scrutiny, as federal authorities pursue expanded infrastructure to implement accelerated removal directives. State and local governments across multiple jurisdictions are evaluating the potential operational and community implications of hosting large-scale ICE facilities as the program advances.
The goal of the initiative is to expand detention capacity to 92,000 beds. Officials say that as the 12,000 new ICE enforcement officers come online, the number of people detained will increase. This will require a massive reengineering of the agency’s detention capabilities.
The memo states:
The objective of this contract is to secure comprehensive services for the design, renovation, and operation of ICE-owned permanent structures, transforming them into processing and detention facilities exclusively for ICE. These facilities will ensure the safe and humane civil detention of aliens in ICE custody, while helping ICE effectuate mass deportations. The facilities will also incorporate a standardized layout and new features for both illegal alien detainees and the ICE/contractor staff that work at these sites. Facilities will be built to handle the immediate surge capacity and sustained longterm operations, providing a unified, scalable solution that delivers continuity, safety, compliance, and control – built to scale, and committed to supporting our mission.
The program includes plans for:
Regional Processing Centers housing an average daily population of 1,000 to 1,500 detainees for average stays of 3–7 days. These will serve as staging locations for transfers or removals.Large-Scale Detention Facilities are capable of securely and humanely housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees for periods averaging less than 60 days. These sites will serve as the primary locations for international removals.
The new facilities will comply with all “existing detention standards” and will increase efficiency and reduce detention costs, officials state.
ICE custody. Key responsibilities include:
Providing basic needs such as food, clothing, hygiene products, bedding, and recreation.In coordination with ICE Health Services Corps., ensuring medical, dental, mental health care, and emergency services.Facilitating legal access through visitation spaces, law libraries, and necessary resources.Providing religious spaces in compliance with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.Supporting communication needs, including scheduled phone calls and mail services.Facilities will include a variety of program operations to include but not limited to; food services, security & detention, medical services, transportation services, detainee processing, legal services & case processing, custodial and laundry services, IT services, and facility management.These sites will also include lobbies, recreational space, dormitories, courtroom spaces, intake and processing zones, cafeterias, as well as amenities for ICE and contractor staff like office spaces and exercise facilities.
Officials report that the expected duration of migrants’ stay in the mega-centers will be approximately 60 days. The smaller regional processing sites will hold illegal aliens for about a week.
One of the proposed megacenters will be located in Hutchins, Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Hutchins Mayor Mario Vasquez says he opposes the federal government’s purchase of the giant warehouse that has sat empty for many months. “No benefit to it whatsoever,” the mayor said.
The facility, located 10 miles south of Dallas, will be the largest ICE detention center in the United States and will house approximately 9.500 people. A second Texas-based facility is planned for the border city of El Paso. That facility is expected to house approximately 8,500 illegal aliens. Smaller facilities in Texas include locations in San Antonio and Los Fresnos.
El Paso Matters reported that the planned El Paso facility will be located on the city’s east side. The facility will expand capacity in the region to more than 13,000 illegal aliens. A 5,000 bed center was opened on Fort Bliss in August.
News4SA reported opposition to the Alamo City facility from Bexar County and San Antonio politicians.
“They don’t have to comply with city zoning regulations or anything like that so again, the city doesn’t have any power at all to dictate what the property can or can’t be used for,” District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte told the local NBC affiliate.
San Antonio City Council District 3 Councilwoman Phylis Viagran added that San Antonio should not take on any additional responsibility for federal policies.
The sweeping detention‑reengineering plan now moves from internal blueprint to public flashpoint, with ICE racing to build the infrastructure needed to carry out the administration’s accelerated removal agenda. As federal officials push ahead with mega‑centers and regional hubs designed to handle unprecedented enforcement levels, state and local leaders across the country are being forced to confront the political, logistical, and community impacts of hosting these facilities.
Whether embraced as a long‑overdue modernization or resisted as an unwanted federal footprint, the initiative signals a dramatic expansion of America’s detention and deportation machinery—and the debate over where these centers belong is only just beginning.
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