Migrants Nabbed in Trump’s Raids Have Been Released Back Into U.S. Already
The president promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history.”
The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im
Despite the president’s campaign promises to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history,” some migrants rounded up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are currently being released back into the country due to space constraints.
Migrants were freed from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and put on a monitoring program, according to NBC News, in spite of Donald Trump’s push for more arrests and deportations since his swearing-in.
Crucially, ICE detention facilities are lacking enough space to carry out a program of the scale Trump envisions.
But the Trump administration has plans in the works to ramp up detention capabilities and increase the number of deportations it can carry out. Just last week, the president announced a plan to turn Guantanamo Bay Detention Center into a migrant holding facility with up to 30,000 beds.
“Most people don’t even know that we have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” added Trump.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: Surrounded by members of Congress and the family of Laken Riley, U.S. President Donald Trump poses with the signed Laken Riley Act, the first piece of legislation passed during his second term in office, in the East Room of the White House on January 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. Jason Riley and Allyson Philips, the parents of 22-year-old Laken Riley, a University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered in 2024 by an undocumented immigrant, attended the signing ceremony. Among other measures, the law directs law enforcement authorities to detain and deport immigrants who are accused but not yet convicted of specific crimes, if they are in the country illegally. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
He also signed the Laken Riley Act into law, the first of his term, which requires ICE to detain undocumented immigrations who are accused of crimes. Federal courts, however, have blocked indefinite detentions.
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“Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” he continued.
“The agency’s federal law enforcement officers do everything they can to keep our communities safe,” an ICE spokesperson told NBC News. “In some cases, ICE is required to release certain arrested aliens from custody.”
In the monitoring program, ICE can track detainees via wrist and ankle monitors and/or through telephone check-ins.
Border czar Tom Homan said that the department needs 100,000 beds to carry out Trump’s massive deportation push. It currently has less than half that capacity, with roughly 41,000 beds available.
Reporter: We have exclusive reporting that there are migrants that were arrested in recent weeks that have been released back in to the interior of the country because there is not enough space
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 3, 2025
Homan: I'm not aware of that but I will address that. We are looking at 30,000… pic.twitter.com/peGEHYbonO
When asked if he knew about migrants being re-released on Monday, he said he was “not aware of that, but will address that.”
“We are looking at 30,000 detention beds in Guantanamo Bay. I met with hundreds of sheriffs who are going to make their jails available for illegal aliens being detained,” Homan said. “I am not aware of that but now you said that, I will find out.”
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