ICE plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, monthslong expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.

Federal records obtained by WIRED show that over the past several months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have carried out a secret campaign to expand ICE’s physical presence across the US. Documents show that more than 150 leases and office expansions have or would place new facilities in nearly every state, many of them in or just outside of the country’s largest metropolitan areas. In many cases, these facilities, which are to be used by street-level agents and ICE attorneys, are located near elementary schools, medical offices, places of worship, and other sensitive locations.

In El Paso, Texas, for example, the agency is moving into a large campus of buildings right off of Interstate 10 near multiple local health providers and other businesses. In Irvine, California, ICE is moving into offices located next to a childcare agency. In New York, ICE is moving into offices on Long Island near a passport center. In a wealthy community near Houston, Texas, ICE appears poised to move into an office building blocks away from a preschool.

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In early 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is aggressively expanding with over 150 new offices, focusing heavily on regions with previously minimal activity, including major expansions in Texas, California, and New York. The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) is opening new legal offices in cities such as Birmingham, AL; Raleigh, NC; Nashville, TN; and several locations in Florida, Iowa, and Idaho to handle increased caseloads.

Key Locations for New/Expanded ICE Offices (2026):
North Carolina: Raleigh
Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa
Texas: Multiple, with at least nine new leasing projects underway
Alabama: Birmingham
Iowa: Des Moines
Idaho: Boise, Coeur d'Alene
Kentucky: Louisville
Louisiana: Baton Rouge
Michigan: Grand Rapids
Missouri: St. Louis
New York: Long Island
Ohio: Columbus
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh
South Carolina: Charleston, Columbia
Tennessee: Nashville
Virginia: Richmond
Wisconsin: Milwaukee
Potential Detention Facility Locations:
Virginia: Augusta Correctional Center (Craigsville)
North Carolina: Rivers Correctional Facility (Winton), former American Hebrew Academy (Greensboro)
Pennsylvania: Near Harrisburg

This rapid expansion includes new, smaller offices often situated near schools, churches, and courthouses, as part of a broader, well-funded effort to increase detention and enforcement capacity.

In 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is undergoing a massive nationwide expansion, securing over 150 new leases and office expansions following a record 120% increase in manpower. This "surge" includes new field offices for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) across nearly every state.
Confirmed New Field Office & Legal Expansion Locations

According to internal memoranda and recent reports, ICE is establishing or significantly expanding its presence in the following cities in 2026:
Alabama: Birmingham.
Arizona: Surprise.
California: Irvine (near a childcare agency) and Sacramento.
Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Naples (Vineyards Blvd), Orlando (Transport Drive), and Tampa.
Georgia: College Park (new satellite office south of Atlanta).
Idaho: Boise and Coeur d'Alene.
Indiana: Carmel.
Iowa: Des Moines.
Kentucky: Louisville.
Louisiana: Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Maryland: Hunt Valley (Cockeysville/McCormick Road).
Michigan: Grand Rapids (Waters Center) and Southfield (One Towne Square).
Missouri: St. Louis.
New Jersey: Roxbury (Route 46).
New York: Long Island (near a passport center).
North Carolina: Raleigh (near downtown).
Ohio: Columbus.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City.
Pennsylvania: Berwyn (Westlakes Office Park), Philadelphia (Center City/Arch Street), and Pittsburgh.
South Carolina: Charleston and Columbia.
Tennessee: Nashville.
Texas: Dallas, El Paso (Interstate 10 campus), and Houston.
Virginia: Ashland (Lakeridge Parkway) and Richmond.
Washington: Spokane and Tukwila (Riverfront Technical Park).
Wisconsin: Milwaukee.
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Massive Infrastructure Expansion (Late 2026)
By November 30, 2026, ICE plans to activate a larger network of facilities to support its "mass deportation" initiative:
8 "Mega-Centers": Large-scale detention facilities designed to hold 10,000 detainees each.
16 Regional Processing Sites: Strategic centers holding 1,000 to 1,500 detainees at a time.
Warehouse Retrofitting: $38.3 billion has been allocated to convert warehouses into detention centers nationwide.