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3w ago

DHS Pauses New ICE Warehouse Purchases as Mullin Orders Contract Review

The move signals a reset of Noem’s detention buildout with closer scrutiny of sites already bought.

A Department of Homeland Security officer directs passengers as they wait in long TSA lines amid a funding standoff that has forced 50,000 airport security officers to go without pay, causing delays at airports, at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Antranik Tavitian/File Photo
FILE - The Department of Homeland Security logo during a news conference in Washington, Feb. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
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Overview

  • DHS, which announced a pause on Tuesday, will review contracts signed under former Secretary Kristi Noem and scrutinize warehouses already bought.
  • The initiative had aimed to spend about $38.3 billion to boost detention capacity to more than 92,000 beds, with at least 11 warehouses purchased for roughly $1.074 billion.
  • In Surprise, Arizona, city leaders said the 418,000-square-foot warehouse will process single adults for three to seven days with about 250 people a week and a cap of roughly 542 occupied beds, with no local releases.
  • DHS told the city it would reimburse lost property tax revenue and set up tours and a community relations board, while protesters and groups push the council to formally oppose the site on April 7.
  • Nationwide, lawsuits are pending in three states and some deals have collapsed, and new Secretary Markwayne Mullin has signaled he wants closer work with local leaders as reviews play out.