GAO: ICE wasted tens of millions on rushed detention expansion

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has wasted tens of millions of dollars on ill-conceived plans to rapidly expand detention capacity, and will probably waste more because of ongoing mismanagement, the Government Accountability Office warned in a report released on Thursday (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-spending-detention-capacity-gao-report/).

The nonpartisan watchdog, which investigated at the request of congressional Democrats, said ICE had pursued its build-out “without developing a comprehensive strategic plan” or consistent goals. “In the absence of a comprehensive strategic plan to guide detention expansion, ICE has wasted funds on unsuccessful detention initiatives and lacks important information about the long-term affordability of its investments,” the report says (https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2026/09/24/ICE-Has-Wasted-Millions-Trumps-Immigration-Crackdown-Report).

The wasted spending included nearly $3m on tents at Guantanamo Bay that were never used, more than $20m maintaining purchased warehouses that are now being sold without having housed a single detainee, and excessive rates paid at the now-shuttered Florida facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” (https://www.newswav.com/article/ice-is-wasting-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-on-uninformed-detention-projects-A2609_W8G50F). DHS is reimbursing Florida at a rate 171 per cent above ICE’s median bed rate, according to The Fiscal Times.

The GAO found ICE paid $7.7m in non-recoverable costs on seven warehouses it now plans to sell, and is still paying for utilities, security and other services at those sites, at about $12.8m as of August (https://news.bgov.com/us-law-week/ice-wasted-over-20-million-to-expand-detention-watchdog-says).

“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,” the GAO warned. DHS told the watchdog it would develop a plan to guide the expansion by 31 August 2027, but that may be too late to prevent further waste.

Congress gave ICE an unprecedented $45bn to expand detention under the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill, while the detained population rose from 39,000 in January 2025 to 67,000 by 30 July (https://oklahomavoice.com/2026/09/25/repub/millions-of-dollars-of-waste-found-in-trump-administration-push-for-immigration-detention/).