The US government has acquired warehouses in Maryland ($102M) and Arizona ($70M cash) as Immigration and Customs Enforcement pushes forward with plans to convert approximately 23 industrial facilities into detention centers. The expansion could add over 80,000 beds to a system currently holding 70,000 people.
The scale is significant. A planned 8,500-bed facility in El Paso, Texas would rank among the largest jails in the country. Sites are targeted across Minnesota, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. This marks ICE's shift from temporary tent camps toward permanent hard-sided infrastructure, backed by more than $45 billion in Congressional funding.
The safety record raises questions. Six people died in ICE custody during the first three weeks of January 2026, adding to over 30 deaths in 2025. Inspectors documented 60 violations at an El Paso tent camp in September 2025. ACLU litigation filed in October revealed ICE is considering facilities with documented abuse histories, including Virginia's Augusta Correctional Center, recently closed after reports of sexual assault and drug smuggling by officers.
Enterprise tech implications: The warehouse conversion contracts represent emerging government procurement opportunities in detention facility management systems. The operational requirements mirror challenges in other large-scale government facilities: capacity tracking, compliance reporting, case management, and alternatives-to-detention monitoring programs like ICE's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP).
Community opposition is material. At least 15 localities have held protests or council meetings opposing planned facilities, citing zoning violations and infrastructure strain. Local governments are mounting legal challenges. The procedural path remains contested, despite the administration's momentum.
The expansion follows documented enforcement gaps. September inspections revealed systemic compliance failures at existing facilities. The question for procurement officials: whether new infrastructure addresses operational problems, or scales them.