WASHINGTON —  As President Donald Trump pushes forward with aggressive immigration enforcement measures, his administration is exploring ways to increase detention space. It has already had to release hundreds of undocumented immigrants from custody since he took office.

What You Need To Know

  • As Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers ramp up arrests of undocumented immigrants, the Trump administration has been trying to create new detention space
  • The Trump administration has begun transferring undocumented immigrants, including suspected Venezuelan gang members, to Guantanamo Bay as part of its broader crackdown on illegal immigration
  • The administration conceded on Wednesday that 461 undocumented immigrants have been released into the U.S. since the president took office for a number of reasons including serious medication conditions and lack of detention space
  • While Republicans push for more detention funding and support, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is asking that his state be reimbursed $11 billion for border security efforts during the Biden administration 

Nearly a dozen suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua left Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and were sent to the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They were the first group undocumented immigrants flown there since Trump first announced his administration was going to use an immigration detention facility there that has been historically used to house migrants interdicted at sea.

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers ramp up arrests of undocumented immigrants in Texas and the rest of the U.S., the Trump administration has been scrambling to create new detention space. Even so, the administration conceded on Wednesday that 461 undocumented immigrants have been released in the U.S. since the president took office. President Trump, as a candidate, frequently attacked the Biden administration for so-called “catch and release.” 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said none of those released had final detention orders and she provided some reasons for why they were released, which included serious medical conditions. 

“Some of the factors include a lack of significant likelihood of removal in the foreseeable future, lack of detention availability, which is something this president and this administration has been incredibly vocal about,” Leavitt said. “We need Congress's help to increase funding for Border Patrol and for ICE to increase detention capability.”

Meeting with Trump in Washington on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered the federal government the use of 4,000 Texas jail cells to house detainees.

When asked about the offer, border czar Tom Homan said, “We'll be looking at that. All cards are on the table. We're looking for as many beds as we can get. We just got to hope Congress gives us the funding to buy as many beds as we can."

Homan said the administration has also talked with sheriffs across the country about detention space. 

Abbott is also seeking $11 billion in reimbursements for Texas' border security efforts during the Biden administration. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving, told Spectrum News she supports Abbott’s request and said it was a “partnership” rather than the governor “asking for a check.” 

“Why should Texas have to take on the brunt of the burden of doing what the federal government should be doing? The fact is, is that Texas pays more in federal dollars than 46 other states,” Van Duyne said. “As much of a fiscal hawk as I am, I also recognize the fact that when you send federal dollars in, that is the priority of where they should be spent.”

Van Duyne sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, a key panel negotiating Trump’s tax and spending legislation. She envisions that Abbott’s request could be a part of the final package. Republicans are also examining how to fund more detention spaces.

“There's a higher cost. I mean, there's a cost of life that we've experienced because we haven't taken that, because the Democrats and under the Biden administration, have not taken that seriously,” Van Duyne said. “There's a price tag to that crisis, a price tag that we're never going to be able to fully pay back, but at least reimburse the states that have taken this on directly to be able to protect our country. Texas has done a service throughout the nation by looking to strengthen its borders.”

Many Texas Democrats in Congress are opposing Abbot’s request for reimbursement.

“That $11 billion was a total waste of Texas taxpayer money as a political stunt by a governor who had no authority to be involved on our immigration laws. So I do not support that,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, who sits on the House Ways and Means Committee. “There's plenty of money that I'd like to see come to Texas to help the as many as 2 million uninsured people that are there.” 

“It has been nothing but political grandstanding at the cost of taxpayers' dollars,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, of Texas’ Operation Lone Star initiative. 

“The idea that (Abbott) had spent money when nobody asked him to, that now he wants to be reimbursed for is just laughable,” said Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston. 

Meanwhile, White House officials have also touted how El Salvador President Nayib Bukele offered to accept the U.S.’s deportees, as well as American citizens convicted of violent crimes.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said while the offer was under review for its constitutionality and legality, it was “generous.”  

Immigrant and human rights groups have decried expanding mass detention, especially at Guantanamo Bay, which was established in 2002 under former President George W. Bush to detain illegal enemy combatants. President Trump wants to expand the migrant detention facility there at a naval base to detain as many as 30,000 undocumented immigrants, but it is unclear if his administration will get the funding to do so.