ICE expands nationwide legal infrastructure to ramp up deportations across the US

WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is launching a massive $75 billion expansion over the next four years to scale up operations across the country. The plan involves both constructing new facilities and leasing additional space within existing government buildings.

A significant portion of the initiative focuses on the agency’s legal infrastructure. The ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) has requested expedited leasing for office space in several states, including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Washington.

These offices will house ICE attorneys responsible for managing litigation and deportation orders in court.

Many of the new legal offices are situated near planned large-scale migrant detention centers. This proximity is intended to streamline the entire immigration enforcement process, from initial arrest to adjudication and detention.

The expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) represents more than a mere increase in personnel; it is the systematic construction of a comprehensive infrastructure designed for industrial-scale removal operations. Central to this strategy is the significant scaling of the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA). This emphasis on legal staffing indicates that the administration is preparing for a massive surge in the litigation required to process high-volume detentions, signaling a long-term policy shift aimed at maximizing the efficiency of the deportation pipeline.

The strategic placement of legal offices in close proximity to planned detention hubs is a calculated logistical maneuver. By "triangulating" enforcement agents, government counsel, and detention facilities, the agency is creating a closed-loop system. This geographical alignment is intended to minimize transport overhead and accelerate the adjudication of removal orders, optimizing the machinery of immigration proceedings for maximum throughput.

In the political wake of the 2024 election, this expansion serves as the operationalization of pledged hardline immigration mandates. The scope of the plan—which targets several non-border jurisdictions—marks a decisive shift toward deep interior enforcement. This strategy moves beyond traditional border interdiction to target established immigrant communities across the United States, representing a fundamental transition in federal immigration priority and execution.

ICE’s expansion plans have sparked profound concern throughout the Vietnamese-American community, especially among mixed-status families. By establishing new legal offices in cities like Raleigh and Tampa—hubs with significant Vietnamese populations—ICE is signaling that no enclave is beyond its reach.

This increased enforcement presence threatens to create a "chilling effect" on the small businesses that serve as our community’s economic backbone. From nail salons to phở restaurants, the fear of potential raids could disrupt daily operations and exacerbate labor shortages. Furthermore, this shift is expected to trigger a surge in demand for immigration assistance, placing immense pressure on community advocacy groups and legal aid organizations as families scramble to navigate complex visa categories, from F2B family preference cases and TPS protections to H-1B and EB-5 filings.