ICE says it will need a big increase in funding, tens of thousands more beds, to implement the Laken Riley Act

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is telling lawmakers that the Laken Riley Act, an anti-illegal immigration bill expected to reach President-elect Trump’s desk in the coming weeks, will cost an additional $3 billion because the agency needs an additional 60,000 detention beds.

ICE responded to questions from Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., about the impact of the Laken Riley Act. This bill passed the House of Representatives this month and looks set to pass the Senate as well. Required by DHS to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft-related crimes.

It also allows states to sue DHS for alleged failures to enforce immigration laws. The law is named after Laken Riley, a student from Georgia who was killed last year by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. He received the support of Republicans, as well as a number of Democrats.

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In the letter, obtained by Fox, ICE says it has identified tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who would meet the criteria for arrest on both the detained and non-detained lists. It said its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) estimated the number of illegal immigrants on the national list who meet the criteria would be more than 60,000. The letter was first published by Politico.

“Because the Laken Riley Act requires ERO to immediately detain these noncitizens, ERO would then require, at a minimum, 64,000 additional detention beds; however, this does not include other immigration enforcement mandates that may require increased detention capacity.”

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ICE estimates that increasing this capacity would require a funding increase of approximately $3.2 billion. In addition, it is estimated that 10 new Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCATs) and a headquarters law enforcement officer will be needed in eight field offices, requiring an additional nearly $15 million along with associated equipment.

In particular, RKE says that it currently has the authority to meet the requirements of the Act and that it does not need additional authority.

The agency has warned that it may have to release tens of thousands of illegal immigrants if it does not get additional beds.

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“…[I]f Additional funds have not been received and ICE stands its ground current bed capacitythe agency would not have the detention capacity to immediately arrest and detain non-citizens convicted or charged with property crimes,” it said. “ERO anticipates that tens of thousands of non-citizens will need to be released by the end of the fiscal year. , resulting in the potential release of threats to public safety.”

Challenges to enforcement are cited as challenges with ICE officers, as well as those of sanctuary cities: “A complicating factor is the lack of cooperation from ICE’s state and local law enforcement partners.”

This is not the first alarm ICE has sounded about its funding levels, noting in its FY 24 report that it is already underfunded relative to its existing responsibilities.

“During the year, the agency was challenged to do more without adequate funding, working within the constraints of strained resources and competing priorities while steadfastly supporting the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies in their efforts to secure the border,” the agency said.

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President-elect Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation, in which ICE would be the operational agency. In Congress, Republicans are preparing to make significant funding changes through the budget reconciliation process. Border security and home enforcement would likely be top priorities for Republicans, given the prominence of those issues in the 2024 election.