Republicans Should Be Forced To Have ICE Detention Centers In Their States
Republicans are the reason why ICE is roaming America's streets and killing citizens, so they should have to have the detention centers located in their states.
Republicans had a chance to close the door in Trump’s face and kick him out of their party, and they didn’t do it. By caving to Trump and allowing the GOP in exile, Republicans set the stage for the criminal cases against the then ex-president to go nowhere, because without the Republican nomination, Trump likely doesn’t get the state and federal criminal cases to vanish or the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision.
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Once Trump returned to office, Republicans gave him the boosted ICE funding that he wanted, and they championed his immigration policies.
Now that Trump’s immigration policy has blown up in their faces and American citizens are dead, Republicans suddenly don’t want ICE detention centers in their states.
For example, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a letter telling her that Mississippi doesn’t want an ICE detention center.
Wicker wrote:
It has come to my attention that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is in the final stages of acquiring a warehouse facility in Byhalia, Mississippi, and intends to convert it into an ICE detention center. While I support the enforcement of immigration law, I write to express my opposition to this acquisition and the proposed detention center.
This site is currently positioned for economic development purposes. It represents an opportunity for job creation, private investment, and long-term economic growth in Marshall County. The county is already experiencing meaningful growth and increased interest from employers seeking to locate or expand in North Mississippi. Preserving limited, development-ready industrial sites is essential to sustaining this growth. Converting this industrial asset into an ICE detention center forecloses economic growth opportunities and replaces them with a use that does not generate comparable economic returns or community benefits.
The proposed conversion also raises serious feasibility concerns. Detention facilities impose substantial and specialized infrastructure demands—including transportation access, water, sewer and energy costs, staffing, medical care, and emergency services. From my understanding, the ICE detention facility would have a capacity exceeding 8,500 beds. Existing medical and human services infrastructure in Byhalia is insufficient to support such a large detainee population. Establishing a detention center at this site would place significant strain on local resources.
Additionally, many of my constituents have voiced concerns regarding the public safety, medical capacity, and economic impacts this center would impose on their communities. Proceeding with this acquisition without adequately addressing these issues disregards community input.
I strongly urge ICE to reconsider this acquisition and the development of a detention center in Byhalia, Mississippi. I look forward to your prompt response and request that you keep me informed of this acquisition and any future ICE contracting proposals affecting the state of Mississippi.
Republicans created this disaster, but they don’t want it in their backyards.
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