Trump Faces Pushback From MAGA Voters on New ICE 'Prison Camps'

Red state residents oppose plans for massive new detention facilities in their communities.

Published on Feb. 4, 2026

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The Trump administration's plan to expand ICE detention facilities across the country is facing unexpected resistance from MAGA supporters in red states. Officials in Republican-led areas like New Jersey, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Utah are rejecting proposals for large new ICE camps, citing humanitarian concerns. A new Pew poll also shows that a majority of voters oppose keeping 'large numbers of immigrants in detention centers'.

Why it matters

This backlash from Trump's own base challenges the administration's hardline immigration agenda and suggests the public may be souring on the president's signature issue. It raises questions about the political viability of the administration's detention center expansion plans.

The details

The Trump administration, led by White House advisor Stephen Miller, aims to retrofit around two dozen new ICE detention facilities that could hold up to 10,000 detainees each, more than doubling the current capacity. However, officials in several Republican-led areas have rejected proposals for these new 'prison camps' in their communities, citing humanitarian concerns.

  • In 2026, the Trump administration plans to expand ICE detention capacity.
  • In recent months, several Republican-led local governments have voted to oppose new ICE detention facilities in their areas.

The players

Donald Trump

The President of the United States who is pushing for the expansion of ICE detention facilities.

Stephen Miller

A White House advisor who is leading the administration's efforts to expand the ICE detention system.

Greg Sargent

A reporter for The New Republic who wrote about the growing opposition to the Trump administration's detention center plans.

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What they’re saying

“We're now learning that this year, ICE plans to retrofit around two dozen vast new facilities. In keeping with Trump-Miller's visions, ICE vows to detain an additional 80,000 people in them. Some will reportedly hold up to 10,000 detainees apiece. In other words, the Trump-Miller threat to create a system of new detention camps is just getting underway in earnest.”

— Greg Sargent, Reporter (The New Republic)

“At the most fundamental level, large majorities are rejecting both the Trump-Miller ethnonationalist reengineering of the country and their effort to choke off all humanitarian pathways for settling here. Such public sentiments seem very much at odds with diagnoses of a durable Trumpist-nationalist moment.”

— Greg Sargent, Reporter (The New Republic)

What’s next

The Trump administration is expected to continue pushing forward with its plans to expand the ICE detention system, despite growing local opposition in some Republican-led areas.

The takeaway

The backlash from Trump's own base against the administration's plans for massive new ICE detention facilities suggests the public may be turning against the president's hardline immigration agenda, potentially posing political challenges for the White House.