Expansion of the detention facility to hold migrant women is being fast-tracked. Feds also acknowledge need for expanded medical services. The ICE detention center in Batavia. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker. The Trump administration this week confirmed its plans for a major expansion of the ICE detention center in Batavia — a project that could include tents or trailers. Documents show ICE plans to spend up to $8.8 million from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to construct a “soft-sided facility” meant to house up to 100 migrant women arrested in New York and neighboring states. In documents, the agency refers to the planned structure as both a “soft-sided temporary detention facility” and a “temporary hard-sided facility.” In other places, those phrases have been used to describe tents, trailers or other prefabricated structures. Markwayne Mullin, head of the Department of Homeland Security, also disclosed in a letter to U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy a laundry list of needs to improve medical care at the ICE facility in Batavia. Mullin’s list included 32 positions, including 17 nurses. Detainees have complained about inadequate medical care at the facility. Construction of the soft-sided facility has not started and is planned to last six months and conclude by next July. The Department of Homeland Security has budgeted nearly $17 million to build and operate the expansion over a two year period. That’s all according to a Sept. 29 letter from Mullin to Kennedy, obtained by Investigative Post. Mullin said the expansion is in response to a law Gov. Kathy Hochul signed earlier this year that, in part, bans local law enforcement from loaning ICE use of their jails. In Western New York, migrant women were held at jails in Niagara and Allegany counties. In a memo describing the project, an ICE official said the agency was moving fast. “While this approach may be more expensive, it is necessary to meet the immediate and urgent bedspace requirements in the Buffalo area of responsibility,” wrote Ralph Ferguson, an assistant director for operations support for ICE. A more detailed breakdown of the facility’s cost and staffing was redacted in the materials Mullin provided to Kennedy’s office. It’s unknown, for example, how many guards the new temporary facility will require and how many detainees will work $1-per-day jobs there. The agency has previously said it would hire the Virginia-based firm Akima Infrastructure Protection to build the facility on a no-bid basis. Another firm under the Akima umbrella holds the contract to operate the ICE detention facility, with 650 beds. That facility has been over capacity for much of Trump’s second term. ICE issued another contract recently to buy land in Batavia, possibly for a future permanent expansion. Few details are available, however. ICE’s expansion in Batavia may also include new medical facilities and additional medical personnel, according to Mullin. He noted plans are tentative, but the facility has been without a full-time doctor and dentist for at least years. Detainees have previously told Investigative Post the agency does not provide adequate medical care. At present, detainees must be transported to and from area hospitals or other facilities for the bulk of their medical needs. Mullin’s letter outlined the following needs for the Batavia facility: A dentist. Two dental assistants. Three “advanced practice providers” — meaning a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant. Twelve registered nurses. Five licensed vocational nurses. A pharmacy technician. Five social workers. A radiation technologist. Two recreation coordinators. Hiring additional medical staff would require an expanded medical facility, according to Mullin’s letter. Needs include: Five offices. Four exam rooms. Three behavioral health consultation rooms. A nurse’s station. An urgent care room. A six-room medical housing unit. A holding cell. Space for staff meetings and restrooms. Space for biohazards and soiled linens. ICE has arrested nearly 6,300 migrants across upstate New York since Trump’s return. In his letter to Kennedy, Mullin said 28 percent of migrants detained in Batavia have criminal records. That tracks with ICE arrest patterns across upstate New York. The latest data shows 75 percent of those arrested have no criminal history. Mullin’s reply comes nearly three months after Kennedy’s July 8 inquiry about the planned expansion. Kennedy, in a statement, decried ICE’s plans. “It took them more than two months to answer, and they still can’t keep their story straight about what they’re building,” Kennedy said in a statement. “People that are here lawfully are feeling threatened and afraid. This administration must be held accountable.” Kennedy also took issue with the high number of non-criminals detained by ICE. “This administration told the American people it was going after the worst of the worst. Now they’ve admitted in writing that it isn’t true,” he said. Harper Bishop, spokesperson for the Evict ICE campaign in Buffalo, said the federal government’s money would be better spent elsewhere. “Since the expansion was announced, Evict ICE has spoken with thousands of Buffalonians who have made their opposition clear: they don’t want Batavia expanded, and they don’t want ICE’s command center for that facility, and the rest of Upstate New York, in the heart of downtown Buffalo, either,” he said. Aaron Krupp, regional coordinator for the nonprofit Justice for Migrant Families, noted that detention centers aimed at women tend to lead to more families being separated from one another. “It is our obligation, if we want to live up to being ‘good neighbors,’ to oppose ICE’s expansion in Batavia,” he said. In his letter, Mullin asserted that migrants who cross the border to claim asylum have committed a criminal offense. Past administrations have treated those migrants as civil offenders, processed them through the immigration court system and let most live and work freely while their cases are pending. The Trump administration has changed how those courts operate, resulting in tens of thousands of migrants being detained while their cases are active. “Known criminal history is not a prerequisite for immigration enforcement action and never has been,” Mullin wrote to Kennedy. “The American people support the removal of illegal aliens, not just those with known criminal records.” Subscribe to our free weekly newsletters posted 5 days ago - October 2, 2026