US plans to create camps for immigrants

The centers will be created to speed up the deportation of immigrants, according to The Washington Post.

The Trump administration is looking for contractors to help it reform the US immigration detention system. According to the tender project, the plan involves renovating industrial premises to simultaneously hold more than 80,000 detained immigrants.

Detainees will be registered at processing centers for several weeks and then sent to one of seven large centers, each with a capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 people, where immigrants will be prepared for deportation.

The large converted centers will be located near major logistics hubs in Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri. Another 16 smaller centers will accommodate up to 1,500 people each.

The tender project, the publication notes, is not final and may be changed.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said she could not confirm the information about such centers and declined to answer questions about the plan to renovate industrial premises.

The detention center plan will be the next step in President Donald Trump's campaign to detain and deport millions of immigrants, which began with a rapid expansion of the world's largest national immigration detention system. With $45 billion allocated by Congress for immigrant detention, his administration has reopened dormant prisons, repurposed parts of military bases, and entered into partnership agreements with Republican governors to build immigrant camps in remote areas.

The new facilities will maximize efficiency, minimize costs, reduce processing times, limit length of stay, expedite the removal process, and promote safety, dignity, and respect for all those in ICE custody.

ICE plans to upgrade the buildings by adding living quarters with showers and toilets, kitchens, dining areas, medical facilities, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, legal libraries, and administrative offices. Some facilities will include space for detained families.

Earlier this month, ICE held more than 68,000 people, the highest number in its history. Nearly half, or 48 percent, of those individuals have no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, according to ICE data.

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