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Multi-state Request for Information
The RFI at the heart of the discussion. In the simplest of explanations, the government is looking for detention centers with 850 – 950 Beds, that must be located within a 2-hour drive of one of their field offices in Phoenix, AZ, El Paso, TX, Seattle, WA, and San Francisco California. The requirements for the detention centers are outlined in a 435-page document created by ICE. I mapped each of the field offices listed in the RFI as well as the detention centers that fall under the umbrella of the field office. This exercise allowed me to understand the existing capacity each field office has for detention as well as the proximity or distance between the field offices and the detention centers.
PHOENIX, AZ
ICE Field Office Phoenix, AZ
Florence Service Processing Center Florence, AZ |422 Beds
Eloy Detention Center Eloy, AZ | 1550 Beds
Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center Florence, AZ | 550 Beds
EL PASO, TX
ICE Field Office and Service Processing Center
El Paso, TX | 840 Beds
Otero County Processing Center Chaparral, NM | 1000 Beds
Torrance County Detention Facility Estancia, NM | 150 Beds
Cibola County Correctional Center Milan, NM | 1129 Beds
SEATTLE, WA
ICE Field Office Seattle, WA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
ICE Field Office
San Francisco, CA
Golden State Annex
McFarland, CA | 700 Beds
Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center
Bakersfield, CA | 400 Beds
Spaces of Detention
Cinthya Santos-Briones 2019
The final and most provoking work I found was these series of poems, collages, and drawings created and curated by Cinthya Santos-Briones. The work focuses on exploring what detention centers look and feel like spatial through the eyes of the former detained. The hand drawn plans are particularly moving because of the number of beds that dot them. It’s time to reimagine what this space could be used for instead.
Alternatives to Detention
U.S Customs and Border Protection Unveiled the new use for the CBP Home App which will now serve as a way for immigrants who reside in the US illegally to self-report and deport. This app previously served as the main way for asylum seekers to track their requests and status. The agency states that those who self-deport would be allowed to request legal entry to the US in the future vs. those detained would not have the same leniency. This development which involves using your own phone to submit your identity via pictures made me question whether there are current alternatives to detention where you can be “detained” via your phone instead of having to go to a detention center.
CBP Home App
U.S. Customs and Border Protection 2025
U.S Customs and Border Protection Unveiled the new use for the CBP Home App which will now serve as a way for immigrants who reside in the US illegally to self-report and deport. This app previously served as the main way for asylum seekers to track their requests and status. The agency states that those who self-deport would be allowed to request legal entry to the US in the future vs. those detained would not have the same leniency. This development which involves using your own phone to submit your identity via pictures made me question whether there are current alternatives to detention where you can be “detained” via your phone instead of having to go to a detention center.
The Geo Group and CoreCivic Stock Prices Google Finance 2025
The capitalistic motivations for owning and operating detention centers are clear to read. There are a couple of main players when it comes to developing, owning and operating detention centers. The players are The Geo Group, CivicGroup, and Management and Training Corporation. If you go on their websites, you can see smiling pictures of their employees, exterior views of their headquarters, and tabs of information regarding how they can help meet your detention needs. It’s clear that detention centers are a hot business right now, the stock market chart clearly shows a correlation between when Donald Trump, a vocal supporter of ICE and anti-immigration practices, won his re-election and the surge in the trading value of the stocks of The Geo Group and Civic Group.
One Big Beautiful Bill
Speaker of the House Facebook 2025
The bill outlines the Trump administrations goals and provides the funding to back them. The bill provides an additional 135 Billion dollars in funding for ICE and Customs and Border patrol over the next 4 years, averaging over 30 billion dollars a year.
Facebook Post
U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2025
The bragging by homeland security shows the stagger number of arrests in a single month by the Trump administrations border czar team. A 627% percent increase in monthly arrests means the demand for detention centers must be at an all time high. It makes a lot of sense as to why the government put out and RFI for west coast detention facilities that could see the number of detention center beds increase by as much as 3800.
ch has been a ederal power the B den adm n st at on announced an execut ve ac ion to al ow or the depo tat on of many asylum seeker w thou process ng the r c a ms and the 2024 Repub can Party p at orm prom ses he “ arges deporta ion operat on n Amer can h story” i former Pres den Donald Trump s reelected over presump ive Democrat c nominee Kamala Harr s Tax po icy w a so be fron and center o Congres and the Wh te Hou e next year as provis ons of Trump s tax law pas ed in 2017 are set to expire
Aside from the human cost of deportat ons on fam l es po icy experts and researchers are mak ng the case that undocumented mmigran s are a boon to the economy making t an econom c co t as we Imm grat on and econom c exper s who spoke about he s gniifcance of the epor on Monday h ghl gh ed the Cong e siona Budge Oiffce s July report on the ise n mmigra ion and t effec s on the economy and budge , which ound hat h s increase n mmigrat on would add $1 2 tr ion n federa revenue f om 2024 to 2034
Ca l Dav s research direc or a the Inst tute on Taxa ion and Econom c Pol cy said there are econom c ripp e effec s to con ide n the depor at on of undocumen ed immigran s in the U S beyond taxes
I you depor ed someone and hey re no onge mak ng taxable purchases n their commun ty tha number wou d elfec a reduct on in he r sa e tax paymen s to the commun y but t wouldn captu e hat second r pp e effect of the bus ness has les proif s because they have fewer cu tomers ” Dav s sa d n a med a cal on the s udy
Auxier a d hat researche s have ound chi d en in an undocumen ed immigran household are rece ving educat on beneifts that cou d be arger han he tax paymen s of the ower ncome work ng adu t , bu tha th s s mo e of an ncome ssue than a peciifc mm grat on s ue The o her s de of tha co n Aux er
notes s tha in the uture undocumented households may in act give back more than they received
“Those same tud e end o note that f the chi dren go to schoo and hey then go get obs now the Amer can househo d s g ving more han t go because he paren s came here worked, paid into Socia Secu i y Med care, and d dn t get any beneif s ” he said “The k d wen o schoo and then they got a ob and hen they s arted earn ng enough money that they were a ne con r buto
Policy exper s a so po nted o a abor shortage 8 1 m l on ob open ngs and 6 8 mi ion unemp oyed wo kers as a reason o embrace the economic contr but ons o undocumented mm grants
Sou h Dako a, No th Dakota Maryland Vermont Ma ne and Sou h Ca o na a e ome o the s a es fac ng he grea est abor shortages accord ng o a Wash ngton Post ana ys s o Bureau o Labor S at st cs da a
“Immigran s are a ready if ing hat [ abor gap and i we have mass deporta ions where m l ons o mm grant are orn from the
LA ICE Protests
Abusive Practices in Florida Detention Centers
Human Rights Watch / The Guardian 2025
VIA FOX NEWS RE: ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ
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THESIS STATEMENT
A tremendous number of resources and space are allocated to the detention of undocumented immigrants with the vast majority not having criminal backgrounds. This thesis aims to first explore and research detention centers and their economic and societal cost to set up an argument for mass amnesty in the United States. The thesis speculates on a future in which amnesty is offered to the non-criminal undocumented immigrants residing in the United States and what new civic building would be required to help facilitate this transition.
A new civic building typology would be required to help facilitate the transition to citizenship of all these individuals as well as to help build trust between the formerly undocumented and their new government. The resources previously allocated to the building, maintaining, and detaining of undocumented immigrants would be reallocated to support, strengthen, and uplift communities and citizens of the United States. This new typology would house a diverse set of programs that all center around services that would be provided to help in the transition to citizenship. Programmatically, the new typology would focus on housing programs related to administrative and legal assistance, healthcare services, and educational and workforce training. The aim of the project is to be a one stop civic building were one visit could cover multiple programmatic functions. While the inside of the project focuses on services, the exterior focuses on welcomeness and outward education. The project aims to combat the existing dynamic of civic buildings that tend to showcase unrelenting strength, power, and order and instead create a sense of welcomeness, transparency, and be uplifting in its form. The most important formal move is the sinking of the building into the ground to alleviate power dynamics created by elevated buildings on plinths. The skin of the building consists partially of a digital screen meant to inform and educate citizens to destigmatize immigrants and immigration. The rest of the skin is a combination of translucent and transparent, helping provide required privacy, however, never attempting to hide what it contains or what awaits it’s occupants.