By Ahmet Furkan Mecran
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is buying large industrial facilities across the country to expand its detention and processing capacity, according to property records and local officials.
Deed records reviewed by media outlets show ICE has acquired several properties for future conversion into structured detention centers.
ABC News reported Tuesday that these include a facility near Phoenix, Arizona, purchased for $70 million; one in a county north of Baltimore, Maryland, for $102.4 million; and another in Berks County, Pennsylvania, for $87.4 million.
ICE officials say these acquisitions are part of an effort to establish purpose-built detention facilities to accommodate increased immigration enforcement needs under current policy priorities.
Rapid ICE expansion has sparked concerns about taxpayer costs, oversight, and detention conditions.
Recent congressional funding, including a major supplemental bill, has significantly increased ICE’s budget for detention infrastructure and operations.
Supporters say it is essential for border security, while critics demand greater transparency, bed caps, and stricter rules, although major limits have not passed in recent budgets.
Democrats have slammed the partisan Department of Homeland Security funding bill as inadequate to curb ICE abuses under the Trump administration.
ICE’s base budget for fiscal year 2026 is about $10 billion. President Trump’s request is $11.3 billion.
A 2025 law also provides $75 billion in multi-year supplemental funding spread over four years.
In total, ICE will have access to roughly $85 billion, making it the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the U.S.
ICE currently detains over 70,000 people daily. For 2026, the agency plans to increase capacity to more than 100,000 by converting warehouse-like facilities into detention centers and adding new beds.