Yareliz Mendez Zamora, with the American Friends Service Committee, reports an increase in arrivals at the Miramar Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. She visits weekly to assist families with cases. On July 29, 2026, her attention was focused on activities outside the facility.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking a new immigration detention facility in the Miami area. The agency issued a procurement request for a contractor-operated facility with a minimum of 700 beds, located within 50 miles of the ICE Miami Field Office in Plantation. This request is part of broader plans for additional facilities nationwide to accommodate ICE detainees.
The proposed facility must offer medical, mental health care, transportation, guard services, food, and other detention services. According to the request, contractors should supply all necessary personnel, management, equipment, and services needed for the contract.
DHS is also looking for facilities with 1,800 beds in Philadelphia and 1,500 beds in Seattle and Denver. These requests follow the closure of the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center in the Everglades. The Trump administration has indicated plans to escalate ICE enforcement as Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) ends.
In a recent Supreme Court decision, DHS was permitted to proceed with ending TPS for over 300,000 Haitians, amid ongoing lower court challenges. Haitian communities in South Florida, New York, and Ohio have raised concerns about an increase in ICE operations, which may necessitate additional detention capacity.
On Wednesday, advocates gathered outside the ICE check-in facility in Miramar. They protested the rise in arrests across South Florida and criticized the growing involvement of local governments in federal immigration enforcement. American Friends Service Committee activists noted unusual activities, such as the presence of a company known for temporary structures, like tents, engaging with field office officials.
Billy Botsch, affiliated with the American Friends Service Committee, noted portable toilets in the parking lot, suggesting inadequate facilities inside.
Changes in processing at the building were also observed. The usual garage entry seemed replaced by a makeshift setup. The ICE field office did not comment on operations. A DHS spokesperson stated enforcement occurs nationwide daily.
Yareliz Mendez Zamora described situations where families are moved from the Miramar facility to hotels before deportation. “Families are typically held here briefly, then transferred to a hotel where they cannot contact others,” Mendez explained.
The Miami Herald reporter Morgan Mullings and veteran journalist Jacqueline Charles contributed to this report. Charles, known for her coverage of Haiti, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for reporting on the 2010 Haiti earthquake and won the 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize.