DURHAM, N.C. (March 24, 2026) — Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is opposed to the federal government’s aggressive expansion of immigration detention centers, which threatens the safety, stability, and dignity of communities across the South and beyond.
The federal government is pursuing a multi-layered detention expansion plan that has already pushed the number of people held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody past 70,000, with stated goals of reaching more than 100,000. Most alarming is the impending threat of warehouse detention camps in communities across the nation — or makeshift facilities capable of holding 10,000 people each. This directly contradicts our long-standing commitment to ending mass incarceration and building safe communities.
Immigrants belong in the South. SCSJ rejects policies that tear families apart, strip people of their rights, and force entire communities to live in fear. These warehouse facilities will only increase the likelihood of abuse, neglect, and death in ICE custody. They will also divert critical public resources away from the healthcare, housing, schools, and economic opportunities that actually allow communities to thrive.
True safety comes from stability, not from detention. SCSJ is committed to protecting all Southerners from abusive federal actions, regardless of race and ethnicity, and we will continue fighting for a South where everyone can live with dignity, security, and belonging.