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IMUWA Alliance president urges committee to oppose expansion of ICE detention capacity
Summary
Chris Caulfield of IMUWA Alliance testified in support of HCR185/HR175, warning of a nationwide ICE detention expansion and urging the committee to limit contracts and new facilities that could detain migrants; the committee later passed the resolutions as recommended.
Chris Caulfield, president of IMUWA Alliance, testified before the House Committee on Education on April 8 in support of HCR185/HR175 and urged safeguards against the development and contracting of new immigration detention facilities.
Caulfield told the committee that trafficking survivors are particularly vulnerable to intensified immigration enforcement and described an administrative memo he said was released in February outlining a $38,000,000,000 plan to expand nationwide detention capacity. "There was a memo that was released, about ICE's $38,000,000,000 plan to expand detention center capacity nationwide," he said, and cited data in his testimony that 104 new detention centers were created in 2025 and that 24 were opened in 2026 with additional facilities under consideration.
Caulfield said states and municipalities have taken steps to restrict contracts with ICE and limit new facilities, citing recent actions in New Mexico, Illinois and some municipalities as models. He argued that limiting the purchase, development, or operation of new detention facilities protects public safety and community stability and helps survivors access services without fear of detention.
"This resolution sends an important message that our resources for our state, should be reserved for the public trust and not for the propagation of fear," Caulfield said.
The committee took no legislative action on the facts Caulfield presented during the hearing; the chair recommended passing HCR185/HR175 as advertised, and the committee adopted the resolutions in a voice vote.
