The Government Accountability Office found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasted millions of dollars on detention initiatives launched during President Donald Trump’s deportation push, according to a report released Sept. 24, 2026. The watchdog examined six initiatives begun last year and concluded that ICE moved ahead with detention expansion before developing a comprehensive plan. That left the agency without key information about the long-term affordability of its investments, the report said. Among the examples, ICE spent nearly $3 million assembling tents at the naval base in Guantánamo Bay that were never used. The agency also incurred more than $20 million in costs, including zoning assessments and security, for warehouses it bought to hold people facing deportation. ICE now plans to sell those properties, and the report classified the expenses as nonrecoverable. The GAO also found that ICE’s reimbursements to Florida for operating the Alligator Alcatraz detention center and another facility were 171% above the median rate, according to the report. The report was requested by Democratic Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Gary Peters of Michigan and Dick Durbin of Illinois, along with Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. The White House and ICE had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. The findings come as the administration has pressed ICE to expand enforcement and detention capacity, with White House officials calling for the agency to deport 1 million people a year. ICE increased recruitment and established facilities around the country to accommodate more detainees. The One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump’s signature legislation, provided the agency with additional funding for its efforts. A strategic plan setting out goals, activities and resource needs could help ICE manage the expansion and limit losses when initiatives are scaled back, the GAO said. The findings raise questions about how federal funds are being used as the government expands detention capacity and how closely spending is being assessed before new facilities are launched.