The Government Accountability Office found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement squandered millions of dollars in a rapid Trump-era push to expand detention capacity, citing a lack of a strategic plan and impractical facility choices. The GAO tallied more than $20 million in waste, including about $3 million on unused tents at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and roughly $20 million tied to empty warehouses that ICE must now sell. Investigators said the agency pursued the expansion to reach a goal of holding up to 100,000 immigrants at once and moved forward without necessary analysis, leading to high costs for remote sites where basic supplies had to be imported. ICE now plans to sell seven of ten warehouses, but the GAO warned the total loss will likely grow because mismanagement on multiple programs continues. The report singled out six programs across DHS where spending outpaced planning, and congressional investigators said the figure of wasted funds could rise as oversight continues.
