Illegal immigrant arrests have increased during President Donald Trump’s administration, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing challenges due to limited space to detain criminal migrants.
Héctor Quirog, an immigration attorney at the Quiroga Law Office in Spokane, Washington, noted that ICE has ambitious goals but is struggling to address practical issues. Despite efforts, there are constraints related to the number of detention centers and available beds.
Quirog elaborated, “Some individuals require hearings and need to be accommodated while they wait. However, there are capacity issues hindering this process.”
As of Wednesday, only 20 migrants were being held at the base. Sixteen “high-threat illegal aliens” are being held at the detention facility part of the base, also known as Camp 6, and four migrants are being held at a back-up facility due to the inadequacy of the tents.
DHS and ICE have not responded to inquiries regarding what criteria is used to evaluate if a migrant is a high threat.
ICE is conducting flights to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S. and back to their home countries. (ICE Seattle)
ICE has said it will require an additional $3 billion due to needing an additional 60,000 detention beds. The additional beds are driven, in part, by the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which requires the DHS to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft-related crimes.Â
“Since the Laken Riley Act requires ERO to immediately detain those noncitizens, ERO would then require, at minimum, 64,000 additional detention beds; however this does not account for other immigration enforcement mandates that may place a need for increased detention capacity,” a letter from ICE said, in response to questions by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga.
In Congress, Republicans are preparing to make significant funding changes via the budget reconciliation process. Border security and interior enforcement would likely be top priorities for Republicans, given the issues’ prominence in the 2024 election.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE, DHS and the White House for comment.
Fox News’ Liz Friden and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
