Trump Reopens Massive Migrant Detention Facility Amid Mass Deportation Push

A huge two-thousand capacity migrant detention center will be reopened after Joe Biden closed it down.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The Trump administration is reopening a major migrant detention facility in Baldwin, Michigan, signaling a renewed focus on expanding detention capacity as part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to carry out “the largest mass deportation operation in American history.” The facility, previously shut down under Joe Biden, will once again be operated by GEO Group, which announced it had finalized a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We expect that our company-owned North Lake Facility in Michigan will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bed space,” GEO Group Executive Chairman George Zoley stated.

Originally capable of holding 1,800 detainees, the Baldwin center was closed during the Biden administration after it ended private contracts with the Bureau of Prisons. The shutdown resulted in the loss of thousands of detention beds and impacted the local economy, where the facility had been a significant source of employment.

The reactivation of the Baldwin facility is a key move in expanding ICE’s ability to detain and process illegal aliens. With over eight million individuals currently on ICE’s “non-detained” docket, the Trump administration has emphasized increasing detention space and resources to fulfill its deportation objectives.

ICE is facing a serious funding shortfall of $2 billion as it accelerates enforcement efforts. Axios reported that the agency has warned Congress of a budget gap that threatens to undermine its ability to execute Trump’s flagship immigration policy.

While Congress recently approved an additional $500 million for ICE in a stop-gap spending bill, this funding is projected to fall short of the agency’s needs through the end of the fiscal year in September. Plans currently underway include hiring hundreds of new staff, doubling detention space to accommodate up to 100,000 individuals, and increasing deportation flights.

“Just the bed space alone becomes very significant. And to just be able to detain people for a couple of days while they’re processing, and then to be able to move out flights… is exceptionally expensive,” said Senator James Lankford, commenting on the fiscal challenges ICE faces.

One temporary solution under consideration involves diverting funds from other Department of Homeland Security agencies, such as FEMA and the Coast Guard, to support ICE operations. However, this measure is only a stopgap as a larger “budget reconciliation” bill—containing tens of billions of dollars for Trump’s immigration initiatives—works its way through Congress. That legislation, which includes major tax policy changes, is expected to generate extensive debate before passage.

The reopening of the Baldwin facility marks a significant development in the administration’s push to ramp up immigration enforcement and expand detention capacity, reinforcing Trump’s commitment to aggressively pursue mass deportation efforts.