The warehouses were purchased during former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s time in office. The new secretary, Markwayne Mullin, has said he wants the agency to be more private about its enforcement and wants deportations to happen more quickly.
“[They] should be removed at lightning speed, not housed on American soil at the taxpayer’s expense,” the Homeland Security Department said in a statement to the New York Times. “D.H.S. is moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners.”
The move represents a significant shift from the agency’s $38.3 billion ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative, which was designed to create a nationwide network of government-owned detention facilities capable of holding nearly 100,000 immigrants awaiting deportation. The project was meant to not only increase capacity, but reduce the government’s reliance on jails and private contractors.
The expansion effort comes amid years of scrutiny over conditions inside immigration detention facilities. Investigations, lawsuits and detainee accounts have alleged problems ranging from overcrowding and poor sanitation to inadequate medical care and unsafe living conditions.
Now, with the decision to sell the warehouses, the future of the initiative and its massive budget is unclear.
At this stage, it appears the agency will be moving forward with warehouses purchased in San Antonio and Socorro, Texas; Surprise, Ariz.; and Hagerstown, Md.
The Maryland project is already facing legal hurdles. A judge recently barred ICE from moving forward with plans for the roughly $100 million facility until environmental testing is completed. Similar rulings were issued for warehouse projects in New Jersey and Michigan, both of which ICE now reportedly plans to offload.
ICE’s spending spree
The 11 facilities were purchased following a massive funding increase for immigration enforcement included in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The legislation included $170 billion in additional funding for immigration and border related activities, including $30 billion to ICE for detainment and $45 billion to build new detention facilities.
The injection of taxpayer money made ICE one of most expensive police forces in the world and the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency.
During Noem’s tenure, the DHS launched an aggressive spending campaign that included a $220 million ad and recruitment plan. She also faced criticism over allegations the department spent $172 million in taxpayer funds on the use of two luxury jets.
