Trump allies, the private sector is quietly preparing for the mass detention of immigrants

CNN
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Donald Trump’s allies and some in the private sector have quietly prepared for the widespread detention and deportation of migrants living in the United States, according to four sources familiar with the discussions.

And with the former president become president-electthese preparations are now expected to be stepped up.

Immigration was a cornerstone of Trump’s 2024 campaign, and while he repeatedly touted promises of mass deportation along the way — putting more emphasis on domestic enforcement compared to his 2016 fixation on the border wall — members of his circle and some in the private sector, what would the plan look like according to the sources?

Trump’s first priority is to restore his former administration’s border policies and undo those of President Joe Biden, senior Trump adviser Jason Miller told CNN.

Initial discussions among Trump’s team focused on removing undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, a source familiar with the team’s preliminary plans told CNN. A key issue being considered is how, when and whether to deport immigrants brought to the United States as children, commonly known as Dreamers.

Targeting Dreamers would be a departure from the historically bipartisan support they enjoyed. Some are temporarily protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows recipients to live and work in the US.

Tom Homan, who previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, could potentially serve as one of the administration’s immigration leaders, sources said.

‘It won’t be like this: a massive cleanup of neighborhoods. It’s not going to build concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous,” Homan told CBS News in an interview that aired last month.

‘These will be targeted arrests. We will know who we are going to arrest and where we are likely to find them based on numerous investigative processes,” he added.

Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to Trump, said that when the president-elect returns to the White House, border security will be one of his priorities.

“President Trump won a landslide victory on Tuesday as Americans embraced his common-sense policies to secure our border and implement mass deportations of illegal migrants,” Hughes said.

Even before Tuesday evening, some in the private sector that provides detention space services were already discussing a possible second Trump term and expect planning to pick up, one of the sources said.

One of the most important elements of any plan to deport immigrants is detention space, which Democratic and Republican administrations have struggled with due to limited resources.

The federal government contracts with the private sector to build, operate and manage detention centers, and partners with provincial prisons.

“There are a small number of beds that are owned by the federal government. The rest is distributed among private detention centers and county jails,” said John Sandweg, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Obama administration. “There is an ICE presence, but generally the people serving the detention centers are employees of the contractors.”

There are a number of contractors the new Trump administration can lean on, including those who already have existing agreements with the federal government, making it a potentially easier process.

The hardest part, current and former ICE officials say, is finding the money.

According to figures, the average cost to apprehend, detain, process and remove one undocumented immigrant from the United States in 2016 was $10,900 released by ICE at the time. That year, ICE also said the average cost of transporting one deportee to his home country was $1,978. Since then the costs have only increased.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations is generally underfunded and has previously had to reprogram funds to expand detention space, especially during border fluctuations. But there are limits to how much money can be reprogrammed, officials said.

“They should be aggressive about making sure they don’t have to reprogram,” said a former senior ICE official, referring to the upcoming budget cycle. “If they want to achieve the goals they talked about, major changes would be necessary.”

This also includes strengthening the staff, which previously was a challenge for the agency.

“As far as detention is concerned, they can approach the existing contractors out there. They can move relatively quickly,” the former senior ICE official said, adding that deportations can be challenging in certain countries.

“Each country has different requirements for travel documents. In Mexico and Central America, removals can happen quickly from the moment they have the removal order. In almost every other country it takes much longer,” she added.

ICE also has limitations in detaining immigrant families – and is not responsible for detaining unaccompanied migrant children; that responsibility lies with the Department of Health and Human Services.

At the Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of immigration enforcement, officials are bracing for a seismic shift in immigration policy under the incoming Trump administration, prompting some interagency calls Wednesday as people prepare for the coming weeks.

A Homeland Security official described the vote internally as a “mixed bag.” One of the questions at the top of the agenda Wednesday was what will happen to the Biden administration’s policies, such as parole programs for certain nationalities that allowed beneficiaries to work and live temporarily in the United States.

“Shell is shocked by the politics,” said another Homeland Security official.

During his first days in office, Biden reversed many of the Trump administration’s controversial immigration policies. Now that policy can yield a return.

For some at DHS, that’s welcome news. Over the past three years, the Biden administration has faced multiple border crises, drawing fierce criticism from Republicans and Democrats both internally and externally.

Biden administration officials ultimately adopted a much tougher stance on the U.S.-Mexico border, resulting in a dramatic drop in the number of migrants crossing in recent months.

Still, some in immigration enforcement welcomed Trump’s victory.

“There’s a lot of optimism and hope,” said another Homeland Security official.