ICE to Temporarily Transfer 1600 Immigration Detainees to Federal Prisons

On June 7, 2018, Reuters reported that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to transfer 1,600 immigration detainees to federal prisons [PDF version].¹

ICE informed Reuters that these 1,600 immigration detainees will be transferred to five federal prisons on a temporary basis. The transferees will be those “awaiting civil immigration court hearings…” One federal prison, located in Victorville, California, is expected to house 1,000. Other prisons that are expected to receive, or have already begun receiving, immigration detainees, are located in Washington (state), Oregon, Arizona, and Texas.

The move comes as the result of an agreement between ICE and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which has jurisdiction over the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Being transferred to a federal prison instead of a regular immigration detention facility does not bear on an individual's immigration situation. Such an individual who is facing immigration proceedings will still face such proceedings. Any individual who is placed in immigration detention should seek the counsel of an experienced immigration attorney immediately for a case-specific consultation and guidance, including on whether he or she may be eligible for release on bond.

We will continue to update the website with more information on this immigration detention story as such information becomes available.

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1. Cooke, Kristina and Sarah N. Lynch. “Exclusive: U.S. sending 1,600 immigration detainees to federal prisons.” Reuters. Jun. 7, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-prisons-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-immigration-authorities-sending-1600-detainees-to-federal-prisons-idUSKCN1J32W1