GAO Finds ICE Wasted Millions on Detention Expansion

A Government Accountability Office report says ICE pursued a rapid expansion of immigration detention without a comprehensive strategic plan, leading to tens of millions of dollars in waste and risking further losses. Examples include nearly $3 million spent on unused tents at Guantanamo Bay and more than $20 million in unrecoverable costs tied to warehouses the agency plans to sell without using to house detainees. The watchdog also cited costly and unsuccessful detention initiatives, including high payments to Florida facilities, and found ICE had retreated from four of six expansion efforts. DHS says it plans to develop a strategy, but the GAO warned that continued mismanagement could undermine the use of the billions appropriated for detention expansion under President Trump’s immigration agenda.