Share and Follow
Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi is pushing back against a proposal by the Trump administration to open a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in his state, citing potential negative impacts on the local economy.
While Wicker acknowledges the importance of enforcing immigration laws, he disagrees with the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to transform a warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, into a detention facility.
“This location is currently geared towards economic development, offering potential for job creation, attracting private investments, and fostering long-term growth in Marshall County,” Wicker emphasized in a letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
He cautioned that “turning this industrial site into an ICE detention center would hinder economic growth opportunities and replace them with a use that lacks equivalent economic benefits and community advantages.”
The senator from Mississippi also expressed concerns about what he described as “significant feasibility issues.”
“Detention facilities impose substantial and specialized infrastructure demands — including transportation access, water, sewer and energy costs, staffing, medical care and emergency services,” he wrote, noting that the proposed facility would include more than 8,5000 beds.
He said the existing medical and human services infrastructure in Byhalia would have difficulty supporting such a large expansion of the population.
“Establishing a detention center at this site would place significant strain on local resources,” he wrote.
Wicker also reported that many of his constituents have already raised concerns about the public safety, medical capacity and economic impact of the proposed facility.
“Proceeding with this acquisition without adequately addressing these issues disregards community input,” he wrote. “I strongly urge ICE to reconsider this acquisition and the development of a detention center in Byhalia.”
Wicker could attempt to block the facility by adding language to the full-year Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which congressional negotiators hope to pass before Feb. 13, when a stopgap funding measure will expire.
A new report by the American Immigration Council said that ICE was holding a record 73,000 people in detention centers in mid-January, a 75 percent increase since the start of President Trump’s second term.