ICE reveals $38B plan for immigrant mega-jails

Axios · Feb 13, 2026 · 432 words · By Brittany Gibson

Government spending and procurement Political and community opposition Immigration detention infrastructure

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Daily briefing

What to know about Government spending and procurement

Driving the news: ICE is going on a buying spree for warehouse spaces, estimated to cost $38.3 billion out of the $45 billion from the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" passed last year.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Driving the news: ICE is going on a buying spree for warehouse spaces, estimated to cost $38.3 billion out of the $45 billion from the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" passed last year.

Why it matters

A new ICE memo, shared with the New Hampshire Governor's Office on Thursday, states that it plans to buy "non-traditional facilities built specifically to support ICE's needs." ICE plans to buy eight "mega centers," 16 processing centers and 10 more…

Common ground

The memo was released hours after a Senate hearing where Sen.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Government spending and procurement story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem opposing the purchase plan for a warehouse in his home state?
How does this story connect Government spending and procurement with Political and community opposition over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/13/ice-immigrant-detention-warehouses-spending

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 8

schedule Pending 6

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule

Claim 1: “Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem opposing the purchase plan for a warehouse in his home state”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 2: “DHS is also estimating that this will support 1,252 new jobs in the area.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “DHS also gave New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) an economic impact analysis memo that estimates that the agency will spend $300 million retrofitting and operating the facility in Merrimack in its first three years.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 4: “The largest detention site currently operating is in El Paso, Texas.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 5: “Across all the new buildings, DHS plans to have capacity for 92,600 people, according to the memo.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions a DHS letter to the NJDEP about a warehouse, but does not mention a total capacity of 92,600 people across new buildings.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investigations, enforce immigration laws, preserve national security, and protect public safety. ICE was created as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Immigration_and_…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Despite this, DHS in a January letter to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), described extensive plans to transform the warehouse, including upgrading existing water and sew…
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/ice-bought-a-warehouse-in…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
https://www.dhs.gov/

help

Claim 6: “Only 21 of the 220 current ICE detention centers hold more than 1,000 people, according to ICE data.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 7: “ICE plans to buy eight "mega centers," 16 processing centers and 10 more facilities that ICE's enforcement division already uses.”

SINGLE SOURCE

No evidence in the provided search results mentions the specific numbers of 'mega centers' (8), processing centers (16), or other facilities (10).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal inves…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Immigration_and_…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ever wonder who ICE officers and agents are arresting in your community? Check out our latest high-profile and worst of the worst arrests to get a closer look at the criminal aliens we’ve recently tak…
https://www.ice.gov/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The mission of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is to protect America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public safety.
https://www.dhs.gov/topics/immigration-and-customs-enforceme…

info

Claim 8: “The Washington Post first reported on the memo.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions that The Washington Post first reported on a memo regarding immigrants being detained for the duration of removal proceedings, but this does not explicitly confirm it was the first to report the specific warehouse/facility memo described in the other claims.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Washington Post first reported about the new ICE memo instructing immigration officials to keep immigrants detained “ for the duration of their removal proceedings .”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/ice-bars-detained-immigr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Washington Post said it had the Alito flag story 3 years ago and chose...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “Potentially, scores of ICE Agents will be emboldened to unlawfully enter private residences, which include the private residences of U.S. citizens,” the disclosure states. Nash questioned why ICE did…
https://www.aol.com/articles/ice-says-doesnt-judicial-warran…

schedule

Claim 9: “Owners of warehouses in Virginia and Missouri have already pulled out of their sales to ICE.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “It held less than 3,000 on average in the first weeks of February.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “The memo was released hours after a Senate hearing where Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) questioned the acting ICE director about his plans to expand immigration detention in her home state.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence does not mention a Senate hearing involving Sen. Maggie Hassan and the acting ICE director regarding the release of a memo.

travel_explore

info

Claim 12: “ICE is going on a buying spree for warehouse spaces, estimated to cost $38.3 billion out of the $45 billion from the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" passed last year.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence consists of general Wikipedia and official ICE landing pages. There is no mention of a 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' or a $38.3 billion spending plan for warehouses.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jan 30, 2025 · ICE is making a point of widely publicizing its immigration enforcement efforts, sharing regular social media updates detailing daily numbers of arrests, along with names and images of …
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/30/us/ice-immigration-customs-en…

info

Claim 13: “A new ICE memo, shared with the New Hampshire Governor's Office on Thursday, states that it plans to buy "non-traditional facilities built specifically to support ICE's needs."”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided contains general information about ICE's mission and Wikipedia entries, but no mention of a specific memo shared with the New Hampshire Governor's Office regarding non-traditional facilities.

travel_explore

schedule

Claim 14: “The memo explains that ICE's new strategy is to own detention sites and hire contractors to operate them, as opposed to leasing privately owned spaces”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 15: “The larger facilities will hold 7,000–10,000 people for about 60 days on average and will be the "primary" sites to hold people before their deportations.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses general detention numbers and specific overcrowded cells, but does not confirm the specific capacity (7,000-10,000) or duration (60 days) for 'larger facilities' mentioned in the claim.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ICE held approximately 30,000 individuals in detention facilities across the United States.[47]. ICE's increasing use of solitary confinement under Biden was criticized.[48].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Immigration_and_…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — More than 2,600 people have been held at 26 Federal Plaza since January, with a daily peak of more than 175 people on June 5, according to federal data released by the Deportation Data Project at the …
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/nyregion/video-immigratio…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — More than 20,000 migrants have been returned to Mexico so far this year under the program, according to Mexico’s Interior Ministry. What happens when asylum seekers and other unauthorized immigrants a…
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2019/09/23/imm…

info

Claim 16: “The processing centers will accommodate between 1,000 and 1,500 people for 3–7 days, according to the memo.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'according' and provide no factual information about ICE processing center capacities.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of ACCORD is to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned. How to use accord in a sentence. Did you know? Synonym Discussion of Accord.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/according

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Phrasal verb accord with something (Definition of according from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/accordin…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The term according to can be used to attribute something reported — according to the news, the airports are closed (even though according to your friend, they're still open). It also refers to agreeme…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/according

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.