GAO Report Questions ICE Spending as Agency Races to Secure the Border
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A Government Accountability Office report criticizes ICE for millions in spending on rapid detention expansion, as the agency faces unprecedented pressure to control illegal immigration and protect national security.
The Government Accountability Office released a report Thursday scrutinizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for millions in spending as it urgently expanded detention capacity to address the ongoing crisis at the border. The agency advanced over $1 billion to Chicago Title Insurance to acquire 11 warehouses for conversion into detention centers—an essential move to detain dangerous illegal entrants—but later abandoned plans for seven, incurring $20 million in unrecoverable costs. ICE subsequently transferred $2.2 billion to purchase four detention facilities from CoreCivic, a private operator with a proven track record in managing secure facilities.
GAO officials noted that ICE did not fully account for long-term costs or forecast financing beyond 2029, leaving $1.55 billion still with Chicago Title. The watchdog called for a more strategic plan, and ICE has pledged to deliver one by August 31, 2027, demonstrating its commitment to fiscal responsibility.
"We just saw a real lack of planning overall," said Heather MacLeod, director of Homeland Security and Justice at GAO. "The lack of planning has really led to stops and starts which have ultimately resulted in waste."
The report also mentioned other costly expenditures, including a $2.85 million purchase of tents for a Guantanamo Bay facility that were never used, and a $608.4 million FEMA reimbursement to Florida that exceeded typical per-bed rates for two state-run facilities. ICE has also paid higher per-bed rates to the Bureau of Prisons and incurred overtime costs to meet the overwhelming demand for detention space.
Congress had allocated $75 billion to ICE, including $45 billion for urgently needed detention expansion, under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." ICE’s spending rose from $11 billion in the prior fiscal year to $19 billion between October and July, according to a CBS News analysis of federal data—reflecting the scale of the immigration crisis and the resources required to protect American communities.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson emphasized that ICE is pursuing "cost-effective and innovative ways" to meet its detention objectives, while a policy analyst observed that the unique funding structure allows ICE to respond rapidly to evolving threats, even if it reduces some traditional oversight.
DHS’s Inspector General has opened a separate audit to assess whether ICE’s acquisitions were cost-effective and is also reviewing related spending on air charter services and the use of the large appropriations bill. As ICE works to secure the border and enforce the law, oversight will help ensure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently in the fight against illegal immigration.