ICE spent over $20 million on abandoned detention plans, watchdog finds

What This is

• A Government Accountability Office (GAO) review found ICE and DHS spent rapidly to expand immigration detention after early 2025 directives, but did not follow normal planning and oversight steps.
• GAO highlighted that $1.07 billion was advanced to buy 11 warehouses that were later abandoned, leaving about $20 million in unrecoverable costs.
• The GAO cited unused tent facilities at Guantánamo Bay that cost between $2.85 million and $3 million.
• The report stated that ICE shifted about $2.2 billion toward buying CoreCivic detention facilities, and that $1.55 billion remained held in escrow.
• GAO flagged what it described as excessive per-detainee reimbursement rates at some facilities, including those in Florida and at some privately run and Bureau of Prisons sites.
• GAO warned that ICE lacks a comprehensive strategic plan to manage a large detention expansion, increasing the risk of further waste and poor contracting decisions.
• ICE told GAO that it does not expect its strategic plan to be finished until Aug. 31, 2027.

Why This Matters

• It raises questions about how much emergency-style immigration enforcement spending should be permitted without upfront analysis and clear goals.
• Big purchases and long-term contracts can shape detention policy for years, even if projections change or facilities remain unused.
• Claims of inflated per-person payments increase pressure to demonstrate that detention funding secures safe, usable capacity rather than merely incurring higher costs for the same results.
• The findings provide Congress with a basis to tighten rules, demand reporting, or block funding until ICE demonstrates a workable plan and adequate oversight.