What We Sought
To drive forward its hardline immigration agenda, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have partnered with states and other federal agencies to increase capacity for the world’s largest immigration detention system.
At the state level, select states are assisting the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts by creating partnerships for state-run, federally-funded detention facilities. Florida became the first state to announce such a partnership with “Alligator Alcatraz”, a $450 million detention center built on an isolated airstrip in the Everglades and opened in July 2025. Since then, additional agreements have been made with Indiana, for the Speedway Slammer, and with Nebraska, for the Cornhusker Clink.
On the federal level, DHS and ICE have looked to utilize other federal agencies’ capabilities to increase detention capacity. The U.S. Navy has been recruited to assist in facilitating the construction of detention centers across the country. This specific partnership is part of a larger process of the Trump-Vance administration using the U.S. military to support immigration detention efforts.
While these new partnerships were supposed to alleviate pressure on the issues at detention facilities, they have raised serious concerns in light of reporters regarding poor conditions in the facilities.
Democracy Forward Foundation will continue to investigate the Trump-Vance administration’s detention efforts to help shed light on these harmful practices.
What We Received
We will continue to provide updates on the information we receive regarding these requests.
