DHS Pauses Immigrant Detention Center Expansion

0:00On April 1st, Department of Homeland Security just hit pause on buying warehouses for immigrant detention centers, New Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen ordered a review of all contracts signed under the previous leader, Kristi Knowham. This comes right after he was sworn in as part of President Trump's push on immigration. They're looking over 11 sites already bought in states like Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Utah, costing $1.074 billion. The big plan he inherited calls for expanding to 92,000 beds with eight huge facilities and smaller centers, all in a 38-point, $3 billion package. Communities nationwide are pushing back hard against these expansions. Local leaders in places like Surprise, Arizona got blindsided after properties were snapped up, even in supportive areas. Legal fights are brewing in three states. One project got cut from 1,500 beds to just 542 and 8 deals fell.

1:00A part when owners said no. Mullen says he's all about protecting the homeland but wants a team up with community leaders. He knows construction inside out and points out that many towns lack the water and waste infrastructure to handle big influxes of detainees. As DHS digs into these policies during the transition, expect more talks with locals to sort out the next steps on detention capacity. That's the story for today. US News Today, Driven by AI, I'm Corey with The Story.