As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, the new administration is studying how to reopen, expand or build immigrant detention centers near major cities, including Washington DC, sources told NBC News.

“Migrant invasion. An invasion like no country has ever seen before. We will stop him immediately. We will carry out the largest deportation operation,” Trump said in a campaign speech in September.

The new administration is now taking steps to fulfill its controversial campaign promise.

Discussions are underway with private prison companies and the transition team is monitoring areas with high migrant populations, NBC News reported. Sources said the administration may reopen, expand or build new facilities near Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia, while cities like Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago may need more training sites. detention to accommodate arrested migrants.

Sources tell NBC News the new administration wants to double the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) beds. Congress has currently allocated 41,000 beds.

The plan would also revive the policy of detaining parents with their children, known as family detention, which the Biden administration ended in 2021.

The immigration organization CASA works to help Washington, D.C.-area immigrants know their rights, said its executive director Gustavo Torres. He called plans for new detention centers “horrible.”

“We oppose it. We are preparing our community to respond. It’s very important that our community knows what their rights and responsibilities are under this new administration, but also to make sure that people are prepared in case something happens,” he said.

“This new administration is attacking this community, and we are going to work together to make sure we respond to this attack,” Torres added.

CASA has a “Immigration, know your rights” session expected this month. The group distributes information about how to protect yourself during an immigration raid, when you have the right to speak with an attorney, and whether you can deny officers access to your home. Organizations including the ACLU also offer advice on immigrant rights.

While immigrant advocates encourage local, state and federal lawmakers to oppose the plan, supporters of Trump’s mass deportation promise say they are optimistic.

“What we’re seeing right now is just the Trump administration and President Trump delivering on the promises that he made on the campaign trail, which are frankly the reason he was elected,” he said. said Republican analyst Kennith Gonzalez. “This is someone who is committed to carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in the history of our country.”

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The sanctuary policies of Democratic-controlled cities would not prevent ICE from expanding its detention centers there, sources told NBC News.

This article includes reporting from NBC News’ Julia Ainsley, Laura Strickler and Didi Martinez. Go here for their full report. Andrea Swalec also contributed reporting.