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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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A new Democratic‑led congressional proposal would require federal approval from local and state leaders before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can open new detention or processing facilities.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The bill follows growing backlash from communities that say ICE moved ahead with detention plans without consulting local officials.
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Lawmakers argue the proposal responds to transparency concerns as the Trump administration seeks to expand detention capacity nationwide.
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What To Know
A new bicameral proposal in Congress would sharply limit the federal government’s ability to open new ICE processing and detention facilities without the approval of local communities.
ICE runs detention operations for immigration enforcement within DHS, a role outlined by the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations directorate.
The legislation, known as the Respect for Local Communities Act, was introduced by Representative Chris Pappas and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, both of New Hampshire, with companion bills filed in both the House and Senate.
It would require DHS to solicit public comments and obtain written approval from relevant state and local officials before constructing, acquiring, or operating any new ICE processing site or detention center.
Under the proposal, DHS would also be required to notify relevant congressional committees before moving forward with plans to open or expand such facilities.
Supporters say the bill is intended to increase transparency and prevent federal agencies from bypassing local governments when making decisions that could significantly affect public safety, infrastructure, and community resources.
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The House version of the legislation, H.R. 7652, would prohibit DHS from moving ahead with new detention or processing centers unless a public comment process is in place, a signed agreement has been reached with state and local officials, and Congress has received advance notice.
The bill was introduced on February 23 and has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary for consideration.
The proposal comes amid growing backlash in communities across the country over reports that ICE is exploring warehouse sites for conversion into large‑scale detention facilities.
Local officials in Social Circle, Georgia, have expressed frustration over a planned ICE detention facility after DHS purchased an industrial warehouse there earlier this month.
And in New Hampshire, residents and local leaders in Merrimack have raised concerns about a potential detention center, saying they were not consulted about the plans.
Lawmakers backing the bill say those concerns reflect a broader national pattern.
Supporters of the measure argue that while immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, the siting of large detention facilities can place significant burdens on local services, emergency responders, and housing markets.
The legislation does not ban new ICE facilities outright but would give state and local officials formal authority to approve or reject proposals before they move forward.
Records show ICE has acquired at least seven warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas. Additional deals were announced but later collapsed, with sales scrapped at eight locations, the Independent reported.
DHS has disputed the use of the term “warehouses,” saying in a statement that the sites would be “very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.”
Federal immigration agencies are reported to be planning to spend more than $38 billion to acquire warehouses across the U.S. and convert them into new immigration detention centers capable of holding tens of thousands of people, according to government documents.
The records, sent to New Hampshire’s governor and published by the state, show DHS expects to spend about $38.3 billion on the nationwide effort.
That includes an estimated $158 million to retrofit a proposed detention facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire, along with roughly $146 million to operate the site during its first three years.
An overview of the plans, first reported by The Washington Post, indicates that ICE would purchase and convert 16 properties into regional processing centers, each designed to hold between 1,000 and 1,500 detainees at a time.
What People Are Saying
Pappas said in a news release: “Granite Staters want safe communities, accountable government, and local control. That is why I stand with the residents of Merrimack, local leaders, and the thousands of Granite Staters who are voicing strong opposition to the construction of a large scale immigration detention center. It is completely unacceptable for the Trump administration to continue to bypass local leaders throughout this process.”
Shaheen said: “Americans are justifiably concerned as DHS moves to open secretive facilities across the country to detain thousands of individuals at a time, with little transparency or regard for the communities they’re being located in,” adding that the administration is spending billions of dollars on detention expansion while many families face rising living costs.
Democratic Senator of New Hampshire Maggie Hassan, a co-sponsor of the bill, said: “Granite Staters, local law enforcement, and local leaders have raised serious concerns about the proposed ICE detention facility in Merrimack, and this bill would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from unilaterally forcing a processing facility or detention center on our communities.”
Democratic Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, another co-sponsor, said: “The half-baked $38 billion campaign to commandeer industrial warehouses for the detention of human beings without the knowledge or approval of local communities in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and across America is a dangerous and un-American overreach by the Department of Homeland Security. It is undermining our local leaders. It is eviscerating public trust. It is imperiling public safety. It is threatening economic growth. It must stop.
“Our commonsense legislation will rein in this chaos by mandating the transparency and accountability that local communities across New Hampshire and America need and deserve over these decisions.”
DHS documents shared with the governor of New Hampshire say the new facilities will “ensure the safe and humane civil detention of aliens in ICE custody, while helping ICE effectuate mass deportations.”
Eric Taylor, city manager for a small Georgia town of about 5,000 residents called Social Circle, told the Guardian: "This is a close, tight-knit community. I can tell you there is unity around this issue.”
What Happens Next
The Respect for Local Communities Act will now be considered in committee as lawmakers debate DHS’s detention expansion plans and broader questions about federal authority, local consent, and transparency in immigration enforcement.
Both the House and Senate bills will first be taken up by their respective committees, where lawmakers can amend or advance them before any floor votes, with final passage requiring approval in both chambers and the president’s signature.
However, they face long odds in a Republican‑controlled House and Senate, where Democratic‑led proposals on immigration enforcement are unlikely to advance without significant GOP support.
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