The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has paused the purchase of new warehouses intended for immigrant detention and is scrutinizing all contracts signed under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This development comes shortly after Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the new Secretary. Mullin inherited a $38.3 billion plan to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds, a plan that involved acquiring eight large-scale detention centers for 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers. So far, 11 warehouses have been purchased across eight states, costing the federal government a combined $1.074 billion.
Several of these warehouse plans have faced significant opposition from local communities and government officials. For example, a proposed 1,500-bed facility in Surprise, Arizona, has been scaled back to 542 beds, with DHS agreeing to pay the city $300,000 annually for lost property taxes. Similarly, in Maryland, a $102 million warehouse acquired in January for 1,500 detainees has been offered a scale-back to 542, and a lawsuit has paused work on the facility. In Georgia, the city of Social Circle cut off water and sewer services to a $128.6 million warehouse planned to hold 10,000 detainees due to insufficient infrastructure.
The DHS officials are now considering selling some of the previously purchased large warehouses, some of which were expected to hold as many as 8,000 immigrants, although no final decision has been made. The DHS Inspector General is also auditing the warehouse purchases to assess whether they were cost-effective. Mullin has expressed a desire to work more openly with community leaders, acknowledging the widespread opposition that led to eight deals being scuttled in various locations, including Kansas City, Missouri.
