March 31 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has temporarily paused efforts to convert large warehouses into facilities for detaining immigrants, according to a Trump administration official and a second source familiar with the matter. The pause comes as Secretary Markwayne Mullin examines a policy put in place by his predecessor.
Under the previous leadership of Kristi Noem, DHS had laid out plans that, according to internal documents, would channel $38.3 billion in spending by the end of the year toward building detention centers intended to hold and process tens of thousands of immigrants. The scope and scale of that program prompted pushback from multiple communities where such centers were being contemplated.
Reports of an internal slowdown in the contracting process emerged after publication of an internal memo that described a deceleration in issuing contracts to transform warehouses into detention facilities. That memo was cited in media coverage that brought the change in pacing to light. DHS did not immediately provide a response to a request for comment on the reported pause.
The current procedural halt is framed as temporary while the new secretary reviews the policy decisions made under the previous administration. The plan outlined in the documents would have entailed significant federal outlays to establish a network of detention and processing centers.
Community reaction has been a notable feature of the rollout. The plan has generated local opposition in several places identified for potential center development, a factor that was referenced in reporting about the program and its reception.
At this stage, officials have described an interruption in contract issuances related to conversions of warehouse space, but there has been no formal, public directive from DHS detailing a long-term change in policy or a timeline for the review led by the new secretary. The available information reflects only that contracting activity has slowed as the administration reassesses the program.
Key actors and documents cited in coverage of the matter include administration officials and internal DHS paperwork outlining both the financial plan and the operational approach to converting commercial warehouse space into detention centers. Outside comment from DHS was not provided at the time the slowdown was reported.
Editorial note: This article reports the current status of the DHS warehouse detention plan based on named and anonymous sources and referenced internal documents. It does not add or infer details beyond those already stated in source materials cited in coverage.