US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to establish a 24/7 transportation system in Texas, staffed by armed contractors and designed to funnel immigrants detained across the state into ICE facilities and staging locations. The proposed network would be built on agreements with local police departments under the 287(g) program, which has expanded rapidly under the Trump administration.
The plan outlines a statewide transport grid that would require over 2,000 full-time personnel and a fleet of hundreds of SUVs to operate at all hours. Each county would have its own small team of contractors collecting immigrants from local authorities deputized by ICE. The system would create a closed loop: local authorities apprehend immigrants, private contractors deliver them to either a local jail or a detention site run by a private corporation.
The proposal emerges amid the Trump administration's renewed campaign to expand interior immigration enforcement. Over the past year, the Department of Homeland Security has poured billions into detention contracts, reactivated cross-deputation agreements with local police, and directed ICE to scale up removals inside the US.
Texas is set to become an annex of federal immigration authorities, with the state legislature passing Senate Bill 8 requiring any sheriff who runs a jail to seek a 287(g) agreement with ICE. The law aims to create "uniformity and cooperation among all counties," according to the bill's sponsors.
The 287(g) program has been criticized for its potential to facilitate racial profiling, mass detention, and the erosion of civil liberties. Critics argue that the plan would create a shadow logistics network built on agreements with local police departments, effectively turning immigration enforcement into a service industry.
ICE is expected to become little more than an overseer, setting routes, response times, and reporting standards, while private contractors take on the bulk of transportation duties. The system would operate without direct federal presence, raising concerns about accountability and oversight.
The plan outlines a statewide transport grid that would require over 2,000 full-time personnel and a fleet of hundreds of SUVs to operate at all hours. Each county would have its own small team of contractors collecting immigrants from local authorities deputized by ICE. The system would create a closed loop: local authorities apprehend immigrants, private contractors deliver them to either a local jail or a detention site run by a private corporation.
The proposal emerges amid the Trump administration's renewed campaign to expand interior immigration enforcement. Over the past year, the Department of Homeland Security has poured billions into detention contracts, reactivated cross-deputation agreements with local police, and directed ICE to scale up removals inside the US.
Texas is set to become an annex of federal immigration authorities, with the state legislature passing Senate Bill 8 requiring any sheriff who runs a jail to seek a 287(g) agreement with ICE. The law aims to create "uniformity and cooperation among all counties," according to the bill's sponsors.
The 287(g) program has been criticized for its potential to facilitate racial profiling, mass detention, and the erosion of civil liberties. Critics argue that the plan would create a shadow logistics network built on agreements with local police departments, effectively turning immigration enforcement into a service industry.
ICE is expected to become little more than an overseer, setting routes, response times, and reporting standards, while private contractors take on the bulk of transportation duties. The system would operate without direct federal presence, raising concerns about accountability and oversight.
I'm really worried about this new system being set up in Texas... it sounds like they're turning immigration into a business thing. Having armed contractors collecting people from local police departments just feels so wrong. And what's with the state legislature passing that bill? It's like they're just following whatever ICE is telling them to do.
this plan's all about outsourcing & profiting off ppl's misfortune... it's not about justice or keeping us safe, it's about makin' a buck 
, people need to chill out. I mean, ICE is just trying to do their job, right? And yeah, it's not gonna be pretty, but at least they're being upfront about it 
. I get that there might be concerns about accountability, but come on, it's all just business as usual 
. And who knows, maybe this system will actually help streamline the whole immigration process and make things more efficient 
️. It's not like we're talking about a huge budget or anything 
. It sounds like they're outsourcing immigration enforcement to a whole other level - private companies are already involved in detention contracts, now it's like they're taking over the entire process? 
And with 287(g) agreements, how are we supposed to know who's authorized to make these arrests and detentions? 
It just feels like another layer of bureaucratic red tape, but this time it's for deportation instead of justice. I don't think the public is aware of all the details yet, so I'm keeping an eye on this one 
this plan for 24/7 transportation in Texas is super concerning... like, who gets to decide where people are taken? Local police or ICE? And what about the contractors? They're gonna be armed and collecting people in the middle of the night. That's just creepy 
. And have you thought about how this would affect ppl trying to escape from detention centers? It's like they'd be trapped in a web of private contracts and state-level agreements... we need to talk about this, y'know?