1,600 immigration detainees are off to federal prison in a first-of-its-kind round-up

Julia Cohen, DCNF

FLORENCE, AZ - FEBRUARY 28: Immigration detainees stand behind bars at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), detention facility on February 28, 2013 in Florence, Arizona. With the possibility of federal budget sequestration, ICE released 303 immigration detainees in the last week from detention centers through outArizona. More than 2,000 immigration detainees remain in ICE custody in the state. Most detainees typically remain in custody for several weeks before they are deported to their home country, while others remain for longer periods while their immigration cases work through the courts. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) — Immigration detainees stand behind bars at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), detention facility (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

About 1,600 people Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained will be sent to federal prison, according to a Thursday Reuters report.

Five federal prisons will hold the detainees, who are awaiting immigration civil court hearings, an ICE spokeswoman told Reuters. One prison in California will hold 1,000 of the detainees.

This is the first time ICE detainees have been transferred to federal prisons on this scale.

“The influx of ICE detainees raises questions about prison staffing and safety,” a prison employees’ union official told Reuters.

The transfer comes on the heels of a potential immigration vote in the House. Republican congressmen met on Thursday to discuss possible immigration proposals, including E-Verify and a DACA legalization.

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