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Committee rejects ban on using ICE‑purchased warehouses for family detention
Summary
An amendment that would have prohibited ICE from converting recently purchased warehouses into large-scale family detention centers failed; proponents described warehouse plans and alleged inhumane conditions at some facilities, while opponents said facility conditions vary and argued the bill reduces perverse incentives.
A member from Pennsylvania (S10) proposed an amendment to prevent ICE from converting warehouses it has acquired into large-scale family detention centers. Supporters described internal ICE plans and acquisitions of large commercial properties in multiple states and urged the committee to prohibit converting warehouses into family-scale detention sites. "This amendment is simple: it would ensure ICE does not use any of its warehouses that it's purchased over the past year for family detention," the sponsor said, citing facilities in Georgia, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
Opponents, including some committee Republicans who had visited detention sites, said conditions differ across facilities and defended the need for flexibility and oversight; they argued the bill's broader statutory changes reduce the incentives that previously drove mass family migration. The amendment failed in recorded committee votes after extended debate about oversight, expenditures, and community impacts.
