As President Donald Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office in January with promises of mass deportations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering opening new detention centers, potentially near San Francisco. The agency has issued a request for additional bed space in various states, including California. This comes after President Joe Biden’s executive order limiting asylum protections and calling for deportations of migrants crossing the border.
Critics, including Democratic officials and immigration advocates, fear that expanding detention centers will lead to increased deportations, raids, and family separations, as well as worsen conditions for detainees. Bree Bernwanger of the ACLU warns of a reign of terror on communities if ICE detention operations are expanded.
California has six ICE detention facilities run by for-profit companies, holding nearly 3,000 detainees. Despite the state’s attempt to ban private immigration centers, a federal appeals court overturned the ban, citing federal jurisdiction over immigration enforcement. Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledges the state may not be able to prevent the creation of a new facility.
Meanwhile, Bonta’s office has updated guidelines for public institutions to limit participation in immigration enforcement activities while complying with state law. This update coincides with a bill introduced by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi to prohibit ICE officers from entering schools and child care centers without a court order and approval from school officials.
The potential opening of a new detention center in California raises concerns about an escalation in immigration enforcement under the incoming administration.
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Photo credit calmatters.org
