Ice Is Transferring 1,600 Detainees To Federal Prisons

Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE is transferring roughly 1,600 immigrants to federal prisons — the first large-scale use of the facilities to hold ICE detainees under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Union leaders at the five prisons that detainees will be sent to say the move raises questions about prison staffing and safety. ICE officials said the prison space is necessary due to a surge in illegal border crossings and the Trump administration's new "zero-tolerance" policy. WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - US authorities are transferring into federal prisons about 1,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, officials told Reuters on Thursday, in the first large-scale use of federal prisons to hold detainees amid a Trump administration crackdown on people entering the country illegally. An ICE spokeswoman told Reuters five federal prisons will temporarily take in detainees awaiting civil immigration court hearings, including potential asylum seekers, with one prison in Victorville, California, preparing to house 1,000 people.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: This $530 Android phone is half the price of an iPhone X and just as goodSee Also:Melania Trump, long missing from public eye, will not attend G7 or North Korea summitWe need to rethink how we talk about 'fascism'Trump pardons conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza, considers pardoning Martha StewartSEE ALSO: Over 10,000 migrant children are now in US government custody at 100 shelters in 14 states DON'T MISS: Obama administration officials are rushing to explain photos from 2014 that went viral this weekend showing locked-up immigrant children