President Trump is ramping up his promise to tackle illegal immigration by reviving a controversial Obama-era policy. Two Texas family detention centers will soon reopen their doors to house migrant families who entered the country illegally and have been ordered to leave by federal judges.
At a Glance
- Trump administration is reopening family detention centers in Texas, reversing Biden’s closure policy
- Private contractor CoreCivic will provide up to 2,400 beds at the Dilley facility, estimated to earn $180 million annually
- ICE agents are planning nationwide operations targeting families with children who have final deportation orders
- The Karnes facility will add over 600 beds specifically for family detention
- These centers were originally built during the Obama administration to handle a surge of Central American migrants
Enforcing the Law Against Illegal Migrant Families
In a significant step toward fulfilling President Trump’s campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history, the administration is now expanding its focus to include illegal migrant families. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reopening two Texas detention centers—Karnes and Dilley—that were previously closed under the Biden administration.
In effect, Trump is reviving an Obama-era policy. Do the Democrats still want to pretend Obama didn’t take some steps to stem the flow of illegals? Because, well, he did. Before he went completely Woke.
The Department of Homeland Security has emphasized that the targeted families are not being randomly selected.
“All have final deportation orders from federal judges,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. “This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law,” McLaughlin added, highlighting the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws that were largely sidelined during Biden’s tenure.
Private Contractors Expanding Detention Capacity
CoreCivic Inc., the private prison contractor that operates the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, has announced an amended agreement with ICE to care for up to 2,400 individuals. The company stands to earn approximately $180 million annually from the operation of this facility alone, showcasing the financial scale of these detention operations.
“We are grateful for the trust our government partner has placed in us. We have an extensive supply of available beds,” CoreCivic CEO Damon T. Hininger said. “We are entering a period when our government partners — particularly our federal government partners — are expected to have increased demand.”
Beyond the Dilley facility, CoreCivic has also expanded its contracts with ICE to increase detention capacity at facilities in Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, and Oklahoma. This expansion reflects the administration’s serious commitment to addressing the immigration crisis, which has seen a backlog of 3.7 million cases clogging immigration courts.
Nationwide Enforcement Operations Planned
According to sources familiar with the plans, U.S. immigration agents are preparing for a nationwide operation specifically targeting migrant families with children who have deportation orders. ICE lawyers are currently working to secure warrants for home entries and arrests, indicating the thorough legal groundwork being laid for these enforcement actions.
The reopening of these facilities marks a return to policies that existed during both the Obama and first Trump administrations. The Dilley facility was originally built in 2014 during Obama’s presidency to handle a surge of migrants from Central America. Critics from liberal organizations have labeled these centers as “known for neglect and abuse of families and children,” but former ICE officials have defended the facilities, noting that detention standards are higher than those in state prisons.
The enforcement strategy faces some legal hurdles, particularly the Flores agreement, which limits the detention of minors with parents to 20 days. This restriction complicates large-scale family detention efforts, but the administration appears determined to work within legal frameworks to address what Trump has repeatedly called a crisis at the southern border.