ICE detention center expansion sparks national protest

The push to block ICE's plans to expand detention centers is fueling a coordinated national day of protests on Saturday.Why it matters: No Kings protests have shown an appetite among Americans to unify against some Trump administration policies, and the latest effort — organized by the Disappeared in America campaign — is building on that momentum.Organizers tell Axios that one of the most mentioned reasons demonstrators attended the No Kings protests was their opposition to immigration enforcement, and Saturday's Communities Not Cages events expect to harness that energy. Key protester demands include making the administration cancel warehouse detention plans and encouraging communities to reject any public funding, approvals, or local resources for expanding detention of migrants. They're also calling for transparency and community consent before any detention-related plans proceed.The big picture: ICE's ramp-up is courtesy of a cash infusion from the One Big Beautiful Bill, which could add at least 116,000 beds to detention centers nationwide. The administration also plans to add 8 new mega-centers and 16 processing centers as part of President Trump's goal to deport millions. "I think for a really long time, people were able to turn the other way, or maybe ignore it," Nanci Palacios, Organizing and Membership Director of Detention Watch Network, tells Axios.But with the new centers potentially in many Americans' backyards, "it's hard to ignore," Palacios said.The big picture: ICE's building blitz is running into resistance not only in blue cities, but also in conservative areas.Case in point: In a red pocket of Maryland, a judge ruled in mid-April that DHS failed to properly evaluate the environmental impacts of a proposed site and that the facility — meant to hold thousands of people — could strain local sewers.In Social Circle, Georgia — where residents overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2024 — residents protesting a proposed facility say it could triple the town's population and overwhelm local infrastructure.And in Florida, "Alligator Alcatraz" continues to face backlash from environmental and Indigenous groups, who say it pollutes the ecosystem and subjects detainees to "torture" and "inhumane" conditions.The Florida facility is just one example of poor conditions in detention centers, which have a long record of inadequate sanitation, moldy food, and abuse — conditions that advocates argue have worsened amid Trump's immigration crackdown.Palacios says the administration is subjecting people to "conditions that are meant for storing products, not people."What we're watching: Over 150 events are planned for Saturday in at least 33 states.Palacios says the protests were partially spurred by the two on-camera deaths in Minneapolis earlier this year, calling them "a wake-up call that it could happen to you."The other side: A DHS spokesperson asked Axios, "Where are the protests on behalf of the victims of criminal illegal aliens?"A White House spokesperson told Axios that anti-Trump protesters are "nowhere to be found when illegal aliens murder or otherwise harm innocent American citizens."The bottom line: Organizers are encouraging all Americans to attend because everyone has skin in the game."You don't have to look a certain way," Palacios says. "You could be a neighbor, an ally ... and be attacked and killed by ICE." Go deeper: Trump ditches deportation showmanship