ACLU Foundation v. ICE

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Virginia, and ACLU of North Carolina filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to obtain records regarding the agency’s potential plans to expand immigration detention across Virginia. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, demands that ICE comply with the Freedom of Information Act and immediately turn over the requested records to the ACLU.

In January 2026, new documents obtained by the ACLU, ACLU of Virginia, and ACLU of North Carolina revealed that ICE was considering seven new locations for potential ICE detention centers, three of which were located in North Carolina.

In July 2026, internal documents obtained by The New York Times indicate that ICE plans to reopen Rivers Correctional Facility for immigration detention by the end of the year. Although contract negotiations remain ongoing, the approximately 1,400-bed facility in Winton (Hertford County), northeastern North Carolina, would become the state's first ICE detention center and one of the largest on the East Coast. If reopened, it could substantially increase ICE's detention capacity across North Carolina and the surrounding region.