US ICE deportation plan hit by $700 million setback as mega‑centers canceled

The Department of Homeland Security’s plan to convert eleven large warehouses into ICE mega‑detention centers for up to 10,000 undocumented migrants each has been sharply scaled back. An Inspector General review prompted DHS to drop seven of the proposed sites, a move media estimate will cost more than $700 million. Projects in Salt Lake City, Utah—a 77,000‑square‑metre hall bought for $145.4 million—and Social Circle, Georgia—a facility acquired for $128 million—were halted after local officials warned of water, sewage, road and policing strains and called the facilities inhumane. The remaining sites are expected to rely on existing detention facilities in partnership with state and county authorities. The reversal is a political blow to the immigration‑enforcement model promoted by former Trump administration officials and former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, now being reassessed by her successor Markwayne Mullin.