GAO urges ICE to adopt strategic plan for detention expansion

The Government Accountability Office reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has incurred waste while expanding detention capacity since January 2025. ICE invested billions in six new initiatives, including the purchase of 11 warehouses for about $1.07 billion, and now plans to sell seven of those properties. The agency has already spent over $20 million on nonrecoverable costs such as zoning assessments and security for the warehouses it intends to divest.

GAO's review found ICE proceeded without a comprehensive strategic plan, lacking consistent goals for detention bed space and without assessing the cost-benefit trade-offs of high-operating-cost facilities versus existing options. The agency also did not develop a unified set of objectives to guide its multibillion-dollar expansion, a shortfall that GAO says contributes to continued waste.

In response, GAO issued a single recommendation that the Director of ICE develop a comprehensive strategic plan outlining goals, activities, and resource needs for detention expansion. The Department of Homeland Security agreed with the recommendation and indicated ICE will produce the plan, but ICE does not expect to finalize it until August 31 2027.

The GAO report notes that a January 2025 Executive Order directed the Department of Homeland Security to detain individuals apprehended for immigration violations to the extent permitted by law and to allocate all available resources for ICE detention purposes. GAO's findings suggest that more timely completion of the strategic plan could mitigate further waste of taxpayer dollars as ICE continues to fund and operate expanded detention facilities.