WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained more than 43,759 people as of last week, leading to concerns over a lack of detention space.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said ICE doesn’t have enough detention beds.
“There are not enough detention beds because President Trump is serious,” Capito said.
Homeland Security data shows that the average migrant arrested by ICE spends about 50 days in custody.
The Trump administration has detained migrants in federal prisons and military bases, including Guantanamo Bay.
Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas.) criticized the use of Guantanamo Bay.
“I’m appalled by Guantanamo Bay. These are immigrants. They’re not terrorists,” Gonzalez said. “You don’t take those people and put them in a detention center where you normally house terrorists.”
Court filings this week revealed that 40 migrants were temporarily housed at Guantanamo Bay, but a defense official said that number has since dropped to zero.
Congress recently passed the Laken Riley Act, necessitating the creation of 110,000 new detention beds, though Congress hasn’t passed funding to make that happen.
“We’re answering the president’s call for more ICE detention beds,” Moore Capito said.
Congress has allocated nearly $500 million for additional detention beds as part of a bill to keep the government funded.