In a year marked by intensifying debate over immigration policy, the Trump administration is moving forward with a sweeping expansion of U.S. immigration detention, even as court orders and public outrage mount in response to aggressive enforcement tactics. According to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planning document obtained by The Washington Post, the administration aims to nearly double the nation’s detention capacity to more than 107,000 beds by January 2026. This unprecedented growth includes the opening or expansion of 125 facilities this year alone, stretching ICE’s reach into new states and communities.
The roadmap for this expansion outlines a dramatic increase in both large-scale “mega-detention” centers and temporary “soft-sided” structures—essentially tent-like facilities that can be set up in a matter of weeks. By the end of 2025, nineteen states are projected to each house at least 1,000 detention beds, up from just fourteen at present. Texas, Louisiana, California, and Georgia will continue to have the highest concentration of beds, but new facilities are also planned for Oklahoma, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Notably, plans call for at least three family detention centers with a combined total of 5,700 beds—a significant jump from the roughly 2,000 beds currently available at Dilley, Texas.
ICE officials maintain that these expansions adhere to federal standards for the treatment of children and families. However, advocacy groups and legal observers interviewed by The Washington Post report persistent problems, including trauma and malnutrition among children in detention. The expansion comes with a hefty price tag: Congress has approved a $45 billion detention budget, and private prison contractors Geo Group and CoreCivic stand to double their annual revenue from ICE contracts, each securing new agreements valued at over $500 million.
Yet, the rapid build-up of detention infrastructure has not gone uncontested. A recent report from Senator Jon Ossoff’s office (D-Ga.) documented 510 credible reports of abuse in ICE detention facilities. These included allegations of physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of pregnant women, and harm to children. The report described instances where pregnant women were left without medical attention and detainees were subjected to physical violence. Frequent transfers of detainees—sometimes hundreds of miles away and without notifying families or attorneys—have further complicated access to legal representation, making it difficult for individuals to pursue bond motions or attend court proceedings.
Against this backdrop of expansion and controversy, ICE’s on-the-ground tactics have drawn sharp criticism, particularly in Southern California. On August 16, 2025, ICE agents conducted a series of high-profile immigration sweeps in Anaheim, targeting the Home Depot on Brookhurst and the nearby Euclid Carwash. These raids occurred despite a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued on July 11 by a federal judge in Los Angeles—an order that was upheld by the 9th Circuit on August 6. The TRO explicitly prohibits indiscriminate immigration sweeps without warrants, requiring that ICE have specific, documented reasons for each arrest.
Nevertheless, according to a local blog covering the events, ICE agents arrived at the Brookhurst Home Depot at precisely 9:01 AM in a convoy of unmarked vehicles, including GMC Yukons, a Ford Expedition, a Dodge Durango, and a Suburban. Masked agents poured out and, as overheard on activists’ walkie-talkies, were instructed to “just grab whoever you can.” Five day-laborers were arrested on the spot, including a man named Amado who, according to community volunteers, has cancer and requires daily medication. The fate of those detained remains uncertain, as advocates scramble to track their whereabouts and ensure their well-being.
After the Home Depot raid, ICE agents proceeded to the Euclid Carwash, a known gathering place for day laborers. This time, however, they were met with resistance. Thanks to a quick-thinking friend of the workers—dubbed the “Mexican Paul Revere”—a warning was relayed, allowing many carwash workers to evade arrest. A crowd of customers and bystanders gathered, voicing their disapproval of ICE’s actions. Among them was an elderly Black man who reportedly confronted the agents, defending the workers’ rights. According to witnesses, he was physically taken down and arrested; he was the only person ICE managed to detain at the carwash. In a dramatic escalation, ICE agents deployed tear gas without warning to disperse the crowd—a move that has since sparked outrage on social media and in the local community.
Local activists, who have been monitoring ICE activity at the Home Depot since earlier raids on August 2, have taken to calling 911 to document these incidents for future legal action. The blog’s coverage is sharply critical of ICE’s disregard for court orders and what it describes as aggressive, lawless tactics under the Trump administration. “ICE had such a field day yesterday in Anaheim, snatching up innocent people and showing off that following court orders is just not their thing,” the blog stated, reflecting the anger and frustration of many in the community.
Despite mounting legal and public pressure, the Trump administration has insisted that its actions are both lawful and necessary. On August 6, 2025, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated to The Wall Street Journal, “ICE does not ‘disappear’ people. The appropriate process due to an illegal alien with final deportation orders is removal, plain and simple. That said, DHS has a stringent law enforcement assessment in place that abides by due process under the U.S. Constitution.”
The administration’s position has done little to quell concerns among immigration advocates and civil rights groups. The ACLU, joined by the cities of Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Santa Ana, has pursued ongoing litigation to halt what they describe as unconstitutional and racially motivated sweeps. The TRO, and its subsequent affirmation by the 9th Circuit, was intended to rein in ICE’s most sweeping tactics. But as the events in Anaheim illustrate, enforcement on the ground often diverges from the letter of the law.
The expansion of detention facilities and the escalation of enforcement actions have also drawn renewed scrutiny to the role of private prison contractors. With hundreds of millions of dollars in new contracts at stake, companies like Geo Group and CoreCivic have a vested interest in the continued growth of the detention system. Critics argue that this creates perverse incentives, prioritizing profit over the rights and welfare of detainees.
For those caught in the crosshairs—day laborers seeking work, families facing separation, and community members standing in solidarity—the stakes could not be higher. The stories emerging from Anaheim, from the cancer-stricken Amado to the elderly man arrested for defending his neighbors, underscore the human cost of a system in flux. As ICE expands its footprint and legal battles continue to unfold, the nation’s immigration debate shows no sign of cooling. For many, the question remains: how far will the government go, and at what cost to the communities it polices?
As the summer draws to a close, the streets of Anaheim bear witness to a struggle playing out across the country—one that pits federal authority against local resistance, and the rule of law against the lived realities of those most affected by its interpretation. The outcome remains uncertain, but the voices of those caught in the middle are growing louder, demanding to be heard.
