Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Guardian staff and agency

ICE has wasted tens of millions to carry out Trump’s mass detention agenda – report

aerial view of a warehouse
Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service vehicles are seen outside an industrial warehouse recently purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for use as a detention center on February 10, 2026 in Social Circle, Georgia. Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars pursuing controversial plans to rapidly increase detention capacity – and the total will likely rise due to continuing mismanagement, congressional investigators warned on Thursday.

The US government accountability office (GAO) documented costly problems in several initiatives ICE has pursued since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and ordered the mass arrest and deportation of people his administration has deemed should be forced out of the country.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.