The US administration is increasing arrests of immigrants and working to expand the capacity to detain them in order to fulfill President Trump’s promise of deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is said to need 100,000 beds, more than double its current capacity. The Trump administration is preparing 30,000 beds at Guantánamo Bay for detainees deemed a threat. The daily average of immigration arrests under the Biden administration is 282, compared to 791 under Trump. ICE is facing a budget shortfall but is carrying out mass deportations as per Trump’s directives.
The cost per ICE detention bed is $57,378 per year, with Congress providing funding to detain an average of 41,500 people a day. Private facilities are often contracted for detention, with some states limiting or ending immigration detention. The immigration detention system has faced criticism for conditions and lack of legal access. An expansion of detention space has been sought by the Biden administration.
Detainees at Guantánamo Bay include families and children fleeing Cuba, with reports of poor conditions. Many are held there until a third country agrees to accept them, while some nationalities such as Cubans and Venezuelans are not accepted back. The use of Guantánamo Bay for detention has been criticized as lacking in basic health care and legal protections, with comparisons made to a black hole.
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