Documents Show ICE Aiming To Double Detention Capacity by Repurposing Vast Empty Warehouses

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a nearly $30 million contract to design new "processing centers and mega centers throughout the United States," according to procurement documents reviewed by The Lever.

The $29.9 million agreement, posted Friday, covers the concept design phase for facilities that could repurpose vacant industrial warehouses into large-scale detention operations. NBC News previously reported that ICE has discussed buying up Amazon-style distribution centers as part of a major expansion in its detention footprint.

Warehouse-based detention centers could be more than twice the size of current ICE facilities on average. ICE already operates hundreds of detention sites — most under private contracts — holding roughly 65,000 people on any given day.

The Trump administration has moved to grow that number significantly. Internal targets aim to increase detention capacity to 100,000 detainees by the end of the year. ICE's budget was nearly tripled earlier this year under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a GOP spending package that sent billions to immigration enforcement agencies.

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The new warehouse procurement arrives amid both budget growth and an increasing number of detention locations. CBS News recently reported that the detained population has reached record levels, up 70% since Trump took office, and that ICE now has enough beds for about 70,000 people at once.

KPB Services LLC, the company awarded the design contract, shares a Kansas address with Mill Creek, a federal contractor promoting project management and design services for agencies including the Department of Defense. Neither the company nor ICE responded to The Lever's inquiries.

The report notes that warehouse vacancy rates have risen in recent years, a trend some analysts attribute in part to economic slowdowns connected to prior tariff policies. ICE's plan would capitalize on the availability of large industrial buildings that have remained empty.

Other recent reporting has documented increased use of small, undisclosed holding sites across the country, where detainees may be held for extended periods despite internal limits meant to restrict such confinement to hours.

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