GAO says ICE wasted millions expanding detention without a plan
A federal watchdog found that ICE grew its detention system without a full plan, even with $45 billion from Congress through 2029. The agency scaled back four of six big projects and lost more than $20 million. ICE says it will finish a plan by August 2027.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement grew its detention system fast this year, and a federal watchdog says it did so without a road map. In a Sept. 24 report, the Government Accountability Office found that ICE has no comprehensive plan for its expansion, even though Congress gave it $45 billion for detention through fiscal 2029, PBS News and Axios reported.
The report says ICE pulled back on four of six major detention initiatives. Those included plans for detention at Guantanamo Bay, the Florida site known as "Alligator Alcatraz," and a network of large warehouses. Seven of 11 warehouses bought for detention are now being sold, and the agency has more than $20 million in costs it cannot recover.
GAO said ICE also lacks long-term studies of whether its plans are affordable. It recommended a strategic plan that spells out goals, steps and resources. The Department of Homeland Security agreed and said ICE will finish one by Aug. 31, 2027.
The money came from the large tax and spending law Republicans passed in 2025, which poured new funds into immigration enforcement as part of President Trump's deportation push. Supporters say more beds are needed to hold people while their cases move forward and to carry out removals. Critics, including Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who released the report, say the findings show waste.
The report lands as ICE holds far more people than it did a few years ago, which puts pressure on budgets, staff and local jails that rent space to the agency.
For taxpayers, the main question is cost. Detention is one of the most expensive parts of immigration enforcement, and long-term contracts can lock in spending for years.
Congress is on recess until after the midterms, so any hearings on the report will wait until at least November.
What we know: GAO found no full plan and more than $20 million in lost costs.
What we don't: How the 2027 plan will change ICE's spending, or whether Congress will step in sooner.
Where outlets agree PBS News and Axios both report that GAO found ICE expanded detention without a strategic plan and lost more than $20 million on scaled-back projects.
Where they differ The administration says more detention space is needed to enforce immigration law, while Democrats who released the report say it shows the money is being wasted.