U.S. to expand migrant detention capacity to 100,000 beds by year-end

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is fast-tracking the construction of tent-style immigration detention camps nationwide after securing $45 billion in new funding. 

The goal is to expand capacity from 40,000 to 100,000 beds by the end of 2025. Priority sites include military bases and ICE jails, with a 5,000-bed facility underway at Fort Bliss, Texas, and others in Colorado, Indiana and New Jersey, according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal. One controversial site – Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz," built in just eight days – began operations in early July, drawing fierce backlash from protesters, rights groups and environmental advocates.