What Happened?

The federal government's immigration enforcement agency spent about $1.07 billion buying 11 warehouses to hold migrants, then moved to sell seven of them before a single detainee ever set foot inside.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published Sept. 24 examined how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spent money on detention expansion from the start of fiscal year 2025 through June 30.

The GAO found ICE pursued warehouse purchases, tent construction at Guantánamo Bay, and other facilities without a comprehensive strategic plan that included consistent goals, objectives, or an assessment of costs and risks. The report covers a period of rapid expansion, during which the number of authorized ICE detention facilities roughly doubled.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

More than $20 million spent on the warehouses ICE now wants to sell, covering costs like zoning assessments and security, cannot be recovered regardless of what those properties sell for.

At Guantánamo Bay, ICE spent approximately $43 million through June 30, including nearly $3 million on tents that were never used, while the average daily detainee population there in fiscal year 2026 was 16 people. To put that in perspective, $43 million spread across 16 detainees works out to roughly $2.7 million per person held there on any given day.

The GAO concluded that "changing plans and high operating costs have resulted in incurring unnecessary costs, which resulted in waste at Guantanamo Bay." That waste comes from taxpayer dollars appropriated for immigration enforcement, money that cannot be redirected once spent.

Both Sides, Now

A January 2025 executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain individuals apprehended for immigration violations and to allocate all available resources toward ICE detention. Funding provided through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was projected to support roughly 80,000 new detention beds, and the number of authorized ICE detention facilities roughly doubled during this period.

Supporters of the expansion argue the investment reflects a serious commitment to enforcement at a scale the existing system could not handle. The GAO found that ICE has not developed consistent goals or objectives for the size and characteristics of its detention bed space, and has not assessed the risks and benefits of using facilities with high operating costs compared to less costly options in its traditional detention portfolio.

This period also coincided with the departure of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and the swearing-in of Markwayne Mullin on March 24. Congress holds the power of the purse and could use the annual spending process to set conditions on how ICE detention funds are used, though no such vote is currently scheduled.

What Happens Next?

The GAO made one recommendation: that the head of ICE develop a comprehensive strategic plan covering goals, activities, and resource needs to guide the agency's detention expansion. DHS agreed with the recommendation and said ICE will develop the plan, though ICE does not expect to complete it until Aug. 31, 2027.

In the meantime, the seven warehouses remain on the market, the Guantánamo Bay operation continues, and the GAO's finding that spending lacked consistent goals stays unresolved.

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