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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to increase its migrant detention capacity to 92,600 beds as part of a strategic nationwide deportation initiative, according to an internal memo from the agency.
The memo, dated February 13, 2026, outlines an extensive plan aimed at facilitating what ICE refers to as the capability for “mass deportations.” This initiative includes the development of eight mega-centers, each with the capacity to detain up to 10,000 individuals. These facilities are expected to be fully operational by November 30, 2026. The project is slated for funding through congressional allocations under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
In addition to the mega-centers, the proposal includes the establishment of 16 regional processing sites designed to accommodate between 1,000 and 1,500 detainees for short-term stays of three to seven days. Furthermore, ICE plans to acquire 10 existing “turnkey” facilities where its Enforcement and Removal Operations are already active. This new approach aims to streamline existing contracts and centralize detention operations across the country.
In Social Circle, Georgia, an aerial view reveals a warehouse recently purchased by ICE for potential use as a detention facility, according to reports. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
The memo also highlights that ICE has recruited 12,000 new law enforcement officers through an aggressive hiring campaign. This expanded detention capacity is deemed essential to support an expected increase in enforcement actions and arrests set for 2026.
The memo describes the network as ICE’s “long-term detention solution,” emphasizing standardized facility design and scalable infrastructure built to handle both immediate surge capacity and sustained operations.
The newly released document comes as ICE has quietly purchased at least seven warehouses — some exceeding 1 million square feet in recent weeks across Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas, according to The Associated Press.
Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons testifies during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2026. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Proposed warehouse purchases in six other cities fell through after sellers declined to move forward under pressure from activists, according to the report. Additional deals, including in New York, are reportedly nearing completion.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said this week that there are about 1.6 million illegal aliens in the U.S. with final deportation orders, roughly half of whom have criminal convictions.
During testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, Lyons said, “What we’re tracking right now is about 1.6 million final [deportation] orders in the United States, with approximately 800,000 of those having criminal convictions.”
A man is detained by federal agents during raids in Colony Ridge, Texas, in February 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Lyons clarified that those deportation orders were issued “through an immigration judge with the Department of Justice separate from Immigration Customs Enforcement,” not by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security.
He added that there are “16,840 final orders at large in the state of Minnesota,” a state that has become a flash point for resistance to immigration enforcement.
Border czar Tom Homan announced a temporary drawdown of enforcement resources this week, citing the need to recalibrate operations as ICE scales arrests and detention capacity nationwide.