The Trump administration’s sweeping “Big, Beautiful Bill” has set aside a staggering $45 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention operations—more than the federal government has spent on migrant detention in the past 15 years combined.
The historic investment, part of a broader $170 billion immigration and border enforcement package, was passed by Congress on July 4 and is poised to supercharge Trump’s already aggressive deportation agenda.
According to The Washington Post, this new funding makes ICE the largest federal law enforcement agency in U.S. history. Immigration advocates say the bill represents an unprecedented expansion of federal detention powers.
“We’re talking nearly 20 years’ worth of detention funding being spent in just four years,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council. “It enables mass deportations in every community across the country.”
Detention Capacity Set to Nearly Double
The administration plans to use the $45 billion to nearly double the number of detention beds nationwide—from 56,000 to as many as 100,000. Officials say the money will also help expand or build new facilities and increase ICE enforcement nationwide.
The move comes as ICE is already detaining record numbers of people, including many without criminal convictions. A Washington Post analysis found that 61% of those deported so far under Trump had no prior criminal history.
Human Cost and Political Fallout
Critics warn that the expanded detention network could worsen already poor conditions in ICE facilities. At least 11 people have died in ICE custody so far in 2025, putting this year on track to be one of the deadliest for detainees in decades.
Media personalities like Joe Rogan have called the scale of ICE raids “insane,” and advocacy groups have accused the administration of targeting low-priority migrants in pursuit of politically motivated mass removals.
“Everything else—budget forecasts, tax changes, even Medicaid cuts—pale in comparison to the immigration enforcement power this bill hands to ICE,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X earlier this week.
The administration also plans to fast-track construction of border barriers along the Rio Grande and expand military zones along the southern border by seizing hundreds of miles of private and tribal land.
One particularly controversial part of the bill includes federal funding to support a massive migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Although Florida hasn’t yet formally requested funds, court documents show planning is already underway.
Potential for Public Unrest
Trump’s immigration measures are already sparking intense backlash. ICE operations have triggered mass protests in cities like Los Angeles, where federal troops were deployed to suppress unrest. Democratic lawmakers visiting detention centers have reported chaotic and sometimes confrontational scenes.
Despite the controversy, Trump has hailed the funding as the “centerpiece” of his legislative agenda, calling it essential to “restore law and order and protect American jobs.”
Meanwhile, immigration advocates and some members of Congress warn the bill’s long-term impact could be devastating—financially, socially, and morally.
