GAO finds ICE wasted tens of millions on bungled detention expansion
Congressional watchdog says ICE's rush to expand detention capacity under Trump squandered funds on unused Guantánamo tents and warehouses.
Part of a larger narrative
ICE Detention System Crisis
- GAO finds ICE wasted tens of millions on bungled detention expansionyou are here
- ICE stops listing detainees with final removal orders in public locator system
What to know
- GAO, at the request of congressional Democrats, found ICE and other agencies wasted tens of millions of dollars on rushed detention-expansion plans since January 2025.
- Documented waste includes $2.85 million for unused Guantánamo tents, $20 million maintaining warehouses being sold unused, and excessive rates at a shuttered Florida facility.
- Congress gave ICE $45 billion for detention expansion, but the agency still has no comprehensive strategic plan; DHS says one won't be ready until August 2027.
- Detainee population rose from 39,000 in January 2025 to 67,000 by July 30, 2026, even as costly facility plans were abandoned.
U.S. Government Accountability Office Congressional watchdogU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Federal agency running detention expansion
Department of Homeland Security ICE's parent agency
Kristi Noem Former DHS Secretary
Donald Trump PresidentCongressional Democrats Requesters of the GAO investigation
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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DHS says a spending plan won't be ready until 2027
The Department of Homeland Security told GAO it would develop a plan to guide its detention expansion by Aug. 31, 2027, which investigators noted may be too late to prevent further waste; meanwhile the detainee population has grown from 39,000 in January 2025 to 67,000 as of July 30.
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first by The Guardian, 1d ago · also Guardian, PBS, Associated Press, Japan Today, Orlando Sentinel, Mercury News +6
3 more headlines
- ICE has wasted tens of millions to carry out Trump’s mass detention agenda – report Guardian US · 1d ago
- ICE has wasted tens of millions of dollars with 'uninformed' detention plans, GAO finds PBS · 21h ago
- ICE is wasting tens of millions of dollars on 'uninformed' detention projects, report finds Japan Today · 21h ago
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An investigation has found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars pursuing uninformed plans to increase detention capacity, and the total will likely rise due to ongoing mismanagement.
2 more of the top 3 · 28 posts in this stretch
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https://www. europesays.com/us/1083532/ ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in rapid push to expand detention capacity, government watchdog finds # GovernmentAccountabilityOffice # News # USImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcement # UnitedStates # UnitedStates # US
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars pursuing ill-conceived plans to rapidly increase detention capacity, and the total will likely rise due to ongoing mismanagement, congressional investigators warned.
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GAO report details tens of millions in detention-expansion waste
The Government Accountability Office, investigating at congressional Democrats' request, documented costly missteps across ICE's detention buildout — including the Guantánamo tents, unused warehouses, and excessive rates paid at a deficient, now-closed Florida lockup — and warned the waste will likely rise due to ongoing mismanagement.
“Without taking action to manage detention investments in accordance with program and project management practices, ICE will likely continue to make uninformed decisions and risk further inefficiency and wasted resources.”
— GAO -
first by Bloomberg Law News, 2d ago · also CBS News, Straight Arrow, The Washington Sun, The Independent
4 more headlines
- ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in rapid push to expand detention capacity, government watchdog finds CBS News · 1d ago
- ‘Uninformed decisions’ led to ICE wasting millions on detention facility expansion: Government watchdog Straight Arrow · 1d ago
- A Watchdog Says ICE Wasted Millions in Its Detention Expansion The Washington Sun · 1d ago
- Trump's ICE wasted millions of dollars on ‘uninformed’ detention projects: watchdog The Independent · 1d ago
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first by Washington Times, 1d ago · also Scripps News
1 more headline
- New report alleges ICE has wasted millions of dollars on unused detention facilities Scripps News · 1d ago
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background
DHS scraps warehouse plan, moves to sell seven facilities — The warehouse expansion idea was scrapped amid public opposition before any detainees were housed, after the department failed to conduct adequate due diligence; DHS is now selling seven of the properties, having already spent $20 million on non-recoverable costs like zoning, title insurance and security.
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background
ICE buys 11 warehouses for $1.07 billion under Noem-backed plan — Earlier this year ICE purchased 11 large warehouses across the country for $1.07 billion as part of a detention-capacity expansion plan backed by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
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background
DHS scraps Guantánamo tents before use, plan deemed infeasible — DHS found the tents didn't meet detention standards and removed them before they housed a single detainee; the mass-detention plan at Guantánamo was later scrapped as infeasible, with the base instead housing an average of 16 detainees daily.
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background
Trump administration orders Guantánamo detention buildout — After the White House directed officials to use the Guantánamo Bay military base for immigration detention, the Department of Defense built tents to hold 5,000 people at a cost of $2.85 million.
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background
Congress approves $45 billion for ICE detention expansion — Lawmakers gave ICE an unprecedented $45 billion to expand detention capacity as part of the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill, without requiring a comprehensive strategic spending plan.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by CBS News, 9h ago · also Axios
2 more headlines
- ICE wasted millions in rush to expand detention, GAO finds Mastodon · 4h ago
- ICE wasted millions in rush to expand detention, government watchdog finds Axios · 4h ago
What people are saying 19 voices from 1 site · best of 28 · verbatim
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"I'm shocked, shocked …" — #ICE Wasted Millions on Detention Without Strategic Plan, GAO Says @axios.com
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Have no plan and spend money that is not yours. The story of Trump's life. Of course, make sure you keep some for yourself.
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It's always been part of Trump's vision that this whole detention project moves millions and billions of taxpayer dollars to men who supply beds in prisons. Why have so much capacity if it's really about deportations?
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These are to house the public in 2028 election. Do not think they wont dissappear people who do not vote they way they want before, or after the 2028 election.
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Not shocking at all. And Vance or, whatever his name is today, want everyone to give them a second chance. Math isn’t a strong point considering this is their second chance.
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Look who’s lurking in the background of this old photo. It’s the remora herself.
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These are not uninformed projects. These are people in ICE shoveling truckloads of public money to their cronies -- probably to get a nice kickback later.
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fck ice. destroy it. tear it down. prosecute. they are nothing but a racist paramilitary terror squad.
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Ah but that's a "feature"! This is how the plan to funnel unlimited public money to private for-profit prisons was written!
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Mismanagement is the Trumpworld name for corruption
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Shortened version: This administration is doing NOTHING right and are actively WASTING whatever money THEY AREN'T STEALING.
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DesignIntentLinguist.com/Construction DesignIntentLinguist.com/climate DesignIntentLinguist.com/Design_Intent.pdf DesignIntentLinguist.com/Data_Sets.txt DesignIntentLinguist.com/Inevitable.pdf
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Wasteful spending, or money laundering? >_>
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Tens of millions of dollars wasted and mismanaged while America's youth, elderly and everyone in between lose health care, food benefits, and human and civil liberty rights. The abuse and disgusting actions of HSI only prove the entire department is a waste of money and space. ABOLISH ICE
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Well, unsurprising since this regime is chock full of nincompoops.
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When the money is not your own, and you have zero skin in the game, waste and theft is predictable. A**holes.
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Considering that a majority of these Detention Camps are contracted by private contractors, of course it's about increasing detention capacity. Why? They get paid if a bed is full, doesn't matter who.
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I remember reading about this a couple of months ago when they were buying property from their friends. Well I guess at least those poor previous owners of the unsalable real estate got their money back with interest and the bill goes to the tax payers.
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Can’t help but wonder if this isn’t the most incompetent government in our country’s history, unless you count the grift and graft. They seem exceptionally competent at that.