Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) is pushing back against a Trump administration plan to turn a warehouse in Byhalia into a major ICE detention center, warning it could strain local infrastructure and disrupt the surrounding community.
Wicker’s public opposition highlights growing unease among some Republicans about the local consequences of expanding immigration detention facilities, even as the administration presses forward with tougher enforcement measures.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Wicker said he supports the enforcement of immigration laws but argued that the proposed facility — which would reportedly have a capacity of more than 8,500 beds — is not suitable for the community and could “place significant strain on local resources.” He noted that the site could otherwise be developed for job creation, private investment, and long-term economic growth for Marshall County.
Wicker raised specific concerns about the ability of existing transportation, water, sewer, medical, and emergency services infrastructure to handle such a large detention population, and said that many of his constituents have expressed worry about potential impacts on public safety, local services, and economic prospects.
As The Hill reports, “The Mississippi Republican also warned about what he called ‘serious feasibility concerns.'”
“Detention facilities impose substantial and specialized infrastructure demands — including transportation access, water, sewer and energy costs, staffing, medical care and emergency services,” he wrote, noting that the proposed facility would include more than 8,500 beds.
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“Proceeding with this acquisition without adequately addressing these issues disregards community input,” he wrote. “I strongly urge ICE to reconsider this acquisition and the development of a detention center in Byhalia.”
Wicker could attempt to block the facility by adding language to the full-year Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which congressional negotiators hope to pass before Feb. 13, when a stopgap funding measure will expire.
A new report by the American Immigration Council said that ICE was holding a record 73,000 people in detention centers in mid-January, a 75 percent increase since the start of President Trump’s second term.
The planned facility — part of a broader federal effort to expand detention and processing capacity nationwide — has drawn pushback from local officials and residents in multiple states, although the federal government typically has authority over immigration facilities and is not subject to local zoning laws.
The proposal remains under review.
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So it’s great to get the illegals off the streets and locked upped, just not in my backyard, BS
Just like a politician not in my backyard.
How come that empty warehouse has not already been converted to another business? How long has it set empty?
To heck with detention! Just deport them all!