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1,600 ICE detainees sent to federal prisons ahead of court hearings

A security contractor hired by ICE prepares to handcuff Honduran detainees. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

Around 1,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, including asylum seekers, are being transferred to federal prisons, Reuters reports, as they await "civil immigration court hearings."

The big picture: Five federal prisons are taking in detainees — 1,000 of them are being sent to a U.S. penitentiary in Victorville, California. The L.A. Times reported last year that housing a prisoner for one year in California cost the state $75,560.

The background: The Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration, but as Axios' Stef Kight reported, there has still been an increase in immigrants crossing into the U.S. illegally.

What they're saying: Prison employee's union leaders in Washington, Texas, and California told Reuters "they had little time to prepare for the large intake of detainees," adding that the rapid increase of detainees is raising questions of staffing and safety of the prisons.

  • ICE spokeswoman Dani Bennet told Reuters they are "working to meet the demand for additional immigration detention space, both long and short term."

Go deeper

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China
2 hours ago - World

Special report: Trump's U.S.-China transformation

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump began his term by launching the trade war with China he had promised on the campaign trail. By mid-2020, however, Trump was no longer the public face of China policy-making as he became increasingly consumed with domestic troubles, giving his top aides carte blanche to pursue a cascade of tough-on-China policies.

Why it matters: Trump alone did not reshape the China relationship. But his trade war shattered global norms, paving the way for administration officials to pursue policies that just a few years earlier would have been unthinkable.

Go deeper (4 min. read)Arrow
Ursula Perano
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

McConnell: Trump "provoked" Capitol mob

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was "provoked by the president and other powerful people."

Why it matters: Trump was impeached by the House last week for "incitement of insurrection." McConnell has not said how he will vote in Trump's coming Senate impeachment trial, but sources told Axios' Mike Allen that the chances of him voting to convict are higher than 50%.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

GOP leaders skip Trump sendoff in favor of church with Biden

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in July. Photo by Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images

Congressional leaders, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will skip President Trump's departure ceremony in Maryland tomorrow morning in favor of attending mass with incoming President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration, congressional sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.

Why it matters: Their decision is a clear sign of unity before Biden takes the oath of office.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow

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