Newly obtained documents reveal that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to significantly expand its detention capacity in New Jersey, potentially adding up to 600 beds to hold undocumented immigrants. The revelation has sparked fierce criticism from immigrant rights advocates, who fear the move paves the way for mass deportations under the incoming Trump administration.
Documents Shed Light on ICE’s Expansion Plans
The documents, procured by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, provide a glimpse into ICE’s efforts to bolster its detention capabilities in the state. The Elizabeth Detention Center, currently the sole facility in New Jersey housing ICE detainees, has a maximum capacity of 300 beds. As of late October, it held 285 individuals, according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
The proposed addition of 600 beds would triple the state’s current immigration detention capacity, marking a significant escalation in ICE’s ability to detain and potentially deport undocumented immigrants. The documents indicate that private prison giants CoreCivic and GEO Group are under consideration to operate the expanded facilities, despite their troubled histories.
Advocates Sound the Alarm
Immigrant rights advocates have swiftly condemned the planned expansion, arguing that it lays the groundwork for the mass deportation campaign promised by President-elect Donald Trump. Eunice Cho, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s national prison project, criticized the Biden administration for “paving the way” for Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
“Instead of closing abusive detention facilities once and for all, the Biden administration is simply paving the way for the incoming Trump administration to conduct mass detention and deportation of immigrant communities nationwide,” Cho stated. “The Biden administration must instead work to close these facilities now.”
– Eunice Cho, ACLU senior staff attorney
The revelation comes amidst growing concern over the potential impact of Trump’s immigration policies, particularly his pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. While the specifics of how such a massive undertaking would be carried out remain unclear, the expansion of detention facilities suggests that ICE is already laying the groundwork.
Questionable Contractors and Poor Conditions
The possible involvement of CoreCivic and GEO Group, two of the nation’s largest private prison companies, has also raised eyebrows. Both firms have faced scrutiny and lawsuits over alleged poor conditions and human rights abuses at their facilities. CoreCivic currently operates a detention center in Elizabeth that houses ICE detainees, while GEO Group previously ran another facility under consideration for expansion.
Details within the documents hint at the changes needed to accommodate the influx of detainees. Plans for the Elizabeth Detention Center include constructing an “outdoor recreation enclosure” featuring a basketball court, exercise equipment, restrooms, and enhanced security measures such as fencing and surveillance cameras. No modifications to the existing building structure appear necessary.
A Contentious Legal Landscape
The expansion plans come against the backdrop of an ongoing legal battle over immigration detention in New Jersey. In 2021, state lawmakers passed legislation barring local government entities from entering into or renewing contracts to hold federal immigration detainees. CoreCivic promptly sued, successfully blocking the law’s implementation pending the outcome of an appeal.
As the ACLU continues to dig for more information on ICE’s preparations for potential large-scale deportations, immigrant communities and their advocates are bracing for what many fear will be a period of heightened anxiety and aggressive enforcement. The planned detention center expansion in New Jersey may be just the first sign of a wider national effort to ramp up ICE’s capabilities as a new administration with a starkly different approach to immigration prepares to take the reins.
Only time will tell how the complex interplay of politics, law, and on-the-ground realities will shape the future of immigration policy in the United States. But one thing seems certain: the battle lines are being drawn, and New Jersey finds itself on the front lines of a conflict with far-reaching implications for the nation as a whole.
