Male detainees in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody will be housed in federal prison facilities across the country, according to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and ICE, obtained exclusively by ABC News.
The agreement specifies that ICE detainees will be housed at the following Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities:
- Federal Detention Center, Miami
- Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia
- Federal Correctional Institution, Atlanta
- Federal Correctional Institution, Leavenworth (Kansas)
- Federal Correctional Institution, Berlin (New Hampshire)
Female ICE detainees will not be housed in BOP facilities, according to the agreement.
The MOU, signed on February 6, outlines specific rules for ICE placements in BOP facilities:
- ICE must only place detainees at BOP-approved locations and cannot transfer detainees without BOP authorization.
- At least two ICE officers must be stationed at every BOP facility holding ICE detainees.
- BOP will have the final say on who is admitted into the facility.
- Disruptive detainees will be removed from BOP institutions.
A source familiar with the agreement told News agency that housing ICE detainees has not been part of BOP’s mission for some time and warned that staffing shortages may hinder the Bureau’s ability to provide proper care for ICE detainees.
Since his inauguration last month, President Donald Trump has aggressively pursued his campaign promise to crack down on immigration, targeting policies such as birthright citizenship and refugee status.
The administration has also used Guantanamo Bay—America’s military base in Cuba—to house detained migrants, reflecting a broader shift in immigration enforcement strategy.
With ICE detainees now being placed in federal prisons, the move signals a major shift in U.S. immigration policy and raises questions about detention conditions and federal resources.
