Key facts
- ICE has wasted tens of millions of dollars on plans to increase detention capacity.
- Nearly $3 million was spent on unused tents at Guantánamo Bay.
- $20 million was spent on maintaining warehouses that were never used for detainees.
- ICE's detainee population rose from 39,000 in January 2025 to 67,000 by July 30, 2025.
- The GAO warned that ICE lacks a comprehensive strategic plan for its $45 billion detention expansion budget.
- DHS plans to develop a detention expansion plan by August 31, 2027.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has wasted tens of millions of dollars on controversial plans to rapidly increase detention capacity, according to a report released on Thursday by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). Congressional investigators warned that ongoing mismanagement and a lack of strategic planning will likely cause the total cost to rise further.
The GAO documented significant problems in several initiatives ICE has pursued since Donald Trump returned to office and ordered the mass arrest and deportation of individuals deemed to be in the country illegally. Among the documented instances of misspending were nearly $3 million for tents at the Guantánamo Bay US naval base that were never used, and $20 million for maintaining purchased warehouses that have not housed a single detainee and are now being sold. Additionally, excessive rates were paid to hold detainees at the now-shuttered Florida lockup known as Alligator Alcatraz.
Congress provided ICE with $45 billion to expand detention capacity, but the agency lacks a comprehensive strategic plan for its expenditure, the report found. The detainee population has increased from 39,000 in January 2025 to 67,000 as of July 30, 2025. The GAO stated that without improved program and project management practices, ICE will likely continue to make uninformed decisions and risk further inefficiency.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE's parent agency, informed the GAO that it would develop a plan to guide its detention expansion by August 31, 2027. The report noted that this timeline may be too late to prevent additional waste. ICE and DHS did not offer immediate comment on the report.
The report also detailed other costly initiatives, including the purchase of private contractor facilities. ICE spent $1.5 billion to buy two such facilities in July, despite not assessing their long-term affordability. The agency also incurred significant costs for four warehouses it plans to keep, including a $426 million renovation project in Arizona and Maryland that is on hold due to legal challenges. Furthermore, ICE agreed to reimburse Florida $608 million through a FEMA grant for the Alligator Alcatraz facility, paying a daily rate of $249 per detainee, which is 171% higher than ICE's normal rate of $92. DHS is also paying this higher rate for a second Florida facility that remains open. An agreement with the Bureau of Prisons to house detainees at eight facilities also incurs high costs for ICE, with a daily rate of $182 per detainee.