The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced plans to allocate over $608 million in grants to state and local governments for the construction of new immigration detention centres. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to expand detention capacity and expedite the deportation of millions of migrants. According to an official notice, the new Detention Support Grant Programme aims to relieve overcrowding in Customs and Border Protection’s short-term holding sites and bolster enforcement priorities under the Department of Homeland Security.
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Funding will support projects such as Florida’s controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility – a converted swamp airstrip that has drawn legal challenges from environmental, Indigenous, and civil rights groups. Detainees and advocacy organisations have criticised the centre for alleged inhumane conditions, mistreatment, and limited access to legal support. Florida officials have indicated they will seek federal reimbursement for the £190 million already spent on the site, which could be funded through FEMA’s $650 million Shelter and Services Programme – a separate budget allocation approved by Congress during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Federal spending on detention infrastructure has surged, including a $1 billion contract for a large tent facility at an Army base in Texas, set to become the largest immigrant detention centre in the country. Additionally, the Trump administration’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” allocates another $35 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, marking an extraordinary rise in funding. This expansion comes even as the administration moves to reduce FEMA’s role in national disaster management. In April, the agency announced it would end the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities programme, prompting legal action from states led by Democrat governors.
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Moreover, FEMA reportedly rejected 16 of 18 applications for hazard mitigation funds following widespread flooding this year, according to a Hill analysis. However, the White House recently authorised emergency aid for four disaster-struck states: Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Despite earlier claims that FEMA would be dissolved and its responsibilities shifted to individual states, the administration now insists the agency will remain – albeit with a rebranded identity rather than a full closure.
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