The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has launched a new program that will provide more than $608 million in funding for states to detain illegal immigrants in state-run facilities.
The grant program, dubbed the “Detention Support Grant Program,” is intended to ease overcrowding in short-term holding facilities operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to FEMA documents posted on a government website.
It aims to help expand the detention capacity of states and local governments as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement efforts targeting illegal immigrants, the documents stated.
FEMA said the program will provide states with grants to offset the cost of holding illegal immigrants in state-run detention facilities until they are transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody….