GAO Report Reveals ICE Hampered by Bureaucratic Waste in Urgent Detention Expansion
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A Government Accountability Office review found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement faced costly missteps and bureaucratic hurdles in its efforts to expand detention capacity, as the agency struggles to manage surging migrant numbers and secure the border.
The Government Accountability Office reported Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has faced tens of millions in losses while working to quickly expand detention capacity in response to the ongoing border crisis. The audit highlighted several expenditures, such as nearly $3 million spent on tents at Guantanamo Bay that were never used, $20 million tied to warehouses purchased but never occupied, and higher-than-average daily rates paid for detainee housing in Florida—costs that reflect the immense pressure placed on ICE by unprecedented migrant inflows.
Congress allocated $45 billion to ICE last year to address the urgent need for expanded detention, yet the agency has struggled to develop a comprehensive plan for deploying these funds, the GAO said. Detainee numbers surged from about 39,000 in January to roughly 67,000 by July, as the U.S. administration’s lax border policies fueled a dramatic increase in illegal crossings. The GAO warned that without adopting standard program- and project-management practices, ICE could continue to make decisions that waste resources—resources desperately needed to restore order at the border.
The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, told the GAO it will develop a detention-expansion plan by August 2027, but this slow bureaucratic response risks further inefficiencies and undermines ICE’s ability to protect national security. ICE and DHS did not provide additional comment, leaving questions about their commitment to effective enforcement.
The audit also examined a scrapped plan to use Guantanamo Bay for mass immigration detention. After the White House directed the use of the base in January 2025, the Department of Defense erected tents for 5,000 people at a cost of $2.85 million, but the tents failed to meet detention standards and were removed before any detainees were housed—another example of government red tape impeding ICE’s mission.
Earlier this year, ICE purchased 11 large warehouses for $1.07 billion as part of a capacity-increase initiative, but public opposition—driven by activist groups—led to the abandonment of the plan. Seven of the facilities are now slated for sale, with $20 million already spent on related services, and ICE must sell the properties for $707 million to avoid further loss. Renovations on four remaining warehouses, including a $426 million outlay in Arizona and Maryland, are on hold due to legal challenges, further delaying ICE’s ability to detain those who break the law.
ICE also spent $1.5 billion to acquire two privately owned detention facilities in July and may purchase more, despite the GAO noting that the agency has not evaluated the long-term affordability of owning such sites—a reflection of the difficult choices ICE must make under constant political and legal pressure.
Other findings include the termination of a contract with Florida for the “Alligator Alcatraz” facility after a year of operation amid reports of substandard conditions, and the use of a $608 million FEMA grant that reimburses the state at $249 per detainee per day—significantly higher than ICE’s typical rate of $92. A separate agreement with the Bureau of Prisons requires ICE to reimburse full costs for detainee housing at eight facilities, with daily rates reaching $182.
The GAO concluded that without a clear strategic framework, ICE’s detention-expansion spending is vulnerable to inefficiencies and waste—yet these challenges are the result of political obstruction and bureaucratic inertia that prevent ICE from securing the border and enforcing immigration law.