Stephen Miller is locking up migrants in detention camps.

Posted by The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Sep 24, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 1 contradict6 support1 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

The Briefing with Jen PsakiSep 24, 2026

The sources show Stephen Miller as the driving force behind the administration's detention expansion, which grew sharply (ICE detentions rose from about 860 to about 24,500 by early February). He directs policy rather than operating facilities himself, and the White House disputes contractor claims about his role in warehouse detention sites.

A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… And so I do think, yes, had the news organizations acted sooner, it might have been able to nip this in the bud. We shouldn't be having White House Correspondence Dinners with President of the United States who wants to do away with the free press. We shouldn't be clinking champagne glasses with people like Stephen Miller, who is locking up migrants in awful detention camps all over this country. I think the press needs to stand up, not just for our individual right to have access to the president and cover things here in Washington, but for our democracy, for our Constitution, for our Bill of Rights. …

The Briefing with Jen Psaki · Sep 24, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Reuters reports ICE detentions of people without criminal charges rose from about 860 when Trump took office to about 24,500 by early February, under Miller's push for 3,000 arrests a day.[1][2]

Supports. A 2026 book and Post Alley coverage describe Miller as directing immigration and detention policy, including requiring immigration authorities to report to him.[5][6]

Supports. NPR reports a contractor's account that Miller wanted immigration detention facilities to be painful rather than humane, in the context of about $1 billion spent on 11 warehouses converted to ICE detention.[3][4]

Contradicts. The White House has strongly disputed the contractor's account, saying Miller was not at the meeting described and calling the claims hearsay.[7]

Context. The Atlantic reports that Trump dismantled some roving enforcement units Miller had encouraged and moved deportation control back to career officials, though Miller remained a top adviser.[8]