Key Takeaways
• In June 2025, ICE began no-bid contracts to rapidly increase detention beds with private prison companies.
• ICE plans four new 10,000-bed facilities plus 14 smaller sites, expanding total detention capacity dramatically.
• Proposed budget increases could raise ICE’s detention funding from $3.4 billion to $12.4 billion annually.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rapidly expanding its detention system in the United States 🇺🇸 by awarding no-bid contracts to private prison companies. This move, which has accelerated in June 2025, is reshaping immigration enforcement and raising serious questions about transparency, oversight, and the treatment of people in detention. Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and what it means for immigrants, taxpayers, and the broader public.
ICE’s Push for More Detention Beds: What’s Happening Now
In June 2025, ICE began using no-bid contracts—agreements awarded without a competitive process—to quickly add thousands of new detention beds. These contracts mostly go to large private prison companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group. ICE leaders say this is necessary to handle a sharp rise in immigration enforcement and to meet new government orders that require holding more people in custody.
The agency’s goal is to more than double its detention capacity. Plans include building four new facilities, each with 10,000 beds, and opening 14 smaller sites that can each hold between 700 and 1,000 people. This expansion comes as the Trump administration has reversed earlier restrictions on private prisons and is now requiring “maximum” detention for people in immigration proceedings.
Why Is ICE Using No-Bid Contracts?
ICE says it needs to act fast. According to officials, the number of people being arrested and detained has grown quickly, and the agency must respond immediately. By using no-bid contracts, ICE can skip the usual months-long process of reviewing bids from different companies. Instead, it can choose a contractor and start building or expanding facilities right away.
ICE leadership has publicly defended this approach. They argue that the speed and flexibility of no-bid contracts are essential for national security and for carrying out new executive orders. As reported by VisaVerge.com, ICE officials insist that these contracts are the only way to keep up with the current surge in detentions.
How the No-Bid Contract Process Works
Here’s a step-by-step look at how ICE is expanding detention using no-bid contracts:
- Needs Assessment: ICE reviews its enforcement priorities and recent arrest numbers to decide how many new beds are needed.
- Contract Award: Instead of opening the process to all companies, ICE directly awards contracts to selected private prison firms, skipping the usual competition.
- Facility Preparation: The chosen company either builds new facilities or retrofits existing ones to meet ICE’s requirements.
- Operationalization: ICE starts moving detainees into these new or expanded facilities, sometimes reopening sites that were previously closed.
- Ongoing Oversight: While Congress can still visit facilities, advocates say that the lack of competition and public review makes it harder to monitor conditions and spending.
The Numbers: Detention Beds, Budgets, and Expansion
- Current Detention Population: Nearly 40,000 people are now held in ICE detention. The highest number under President Trump’s earlier term was about 55,000.
- Expansion Plans: ICE wants to open four new 10,000-bed facilities and 14 smaller sites, each with 700–1,000 beds.
- Budget Increases: Proposed legislation in Congress could boost ICE’s annual detention budget from $3.4 billion to $12.4 billion, with a total of $45 billion set aside for detention through 2029.
- Recent Activity: In the 2024 fiscal year, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations managed almost 278,000 noncitizens in custody.
Who Benefits from No-Bid Contracts?
The main winners are private prison companies. CoreCivic and GEO Group, the two largest firms in this industry, have received most of the new contracts. These deals often include “bed quotas,” which means ICE pays for a set number of beds whether they are filled or not. This guarantees steady income for the contractors, even if the number of detainees drops.
For ICE, the benefit is speed. The agency can quickly add capacity and respond to changing enforcement priorities. For the Trump administration, this approach supports its policy of maximum detention and strict immigration enforcement.
Who Is Affected by the Expansion?
Detainees
For people held in ICE custody, the expansion means more are likely to be detained for longer periods. Many of the new or expanded facilities are in remote areas, making it hard for detainees to see lawyers or family members. Advocacy groups warn that this isolation can lead to worse conditions and less access to help.
Taxpayers
The cost of detention is rising sharply. With the proposed budget increases, taxpayers could be paying more than three times as much for immigration detention as they did just a few years ago. Critics argue that this money could be better spent on alternatives to detention, which are often less expensive and more humane.
Oversight and Transparency
No-bid contracts make it harder for Congress and the public to see how money is spent and how detainees are treated. While lawmakers can still visit facilities, the lack of open competition means there is less information about why certain companies are chosen and how contracts are managed.
Legal and Political Challenges
Not everyone agrees with ICE’s approach. On June 4, 2025, a federal judge stopped CoreCivic from moving forward with a new facility, showing that the courts are watching these contracts closely. Some members of Congress are also demanding more transparency and oversight.
Advocacy groups like Detention Watch Network and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) strongly oppose the expansion. They point to reports of abuse, poor conditions, and a lack of accountability in private detention centers. These groups are calling for more community-based alternatives, where people can wait for their immigration hearings outside of detention.
Background: How Did We Get Here?
Before 2021
ICE has long used private contractors to run detention centers. In the past, most contracts were awarded through a competitive process, and many included “bed quotas” to guarantee a minimum payment to the companies.
Biden Administration
President Biden tried to reduce the use of private prisons and focus on alternatives to detention. The administration ended some contracts and aimed to lower the number of people held in custody.
Trump Administration (2025)
The current administration has reversed these changes. President Trump has ordered ICE to use private prisons again and to hold as many people as possible. This shift has led to the current surge in no-bid contracts and rapid expansion of detention facilities.
Policy Implications: What Does This Mean for the Future?
If Congress passes the proposed House Judiciary bill, ICE’s detention budget will grow dramatically. This would allow the agency to keep expanding, possibly making the immigration detention system larger than the entire federal prison system.
At the same time, legal challenges and advocacy efforts could slow or stop some of the expansion. Courts may block certain contracts if they find violations of procurement laws or other problems. Advocacy groups are working to raise public awareness and push for alternatives to detention.
Multiple Perspectives on ICE’s Expansion
ICE and the Trump Administration
Officials argue that the rapid expansion is needed for national security and to enforce immigration laws. They say that no-bid contracts are the only way to meet urgent needs and that private contractors can provide beds quickly and efficiently.
Private Prison Companies
Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group say they are simply meeting the government’s needs. They point to their experience and ability to build or expand facilities on short notice.
Advocacy Groups and Legal Experts
Groups like Detention Watch Network and AILA argue that expanding detention through no-bid contracts leads to more abuse, less accountability, and higher costs. They warn that holding more people in remote facilities makes it harder for detainees to get legal help and increases the risk of human rights violations.
Congress
Some lawmakers support the expansion, saying it will deter unauthorized migration and help enforce the law. Others are pushing for more oversight, transparency, and alternatives to detention.
Practical Effects: What Can Detainees and Families Expect?
- Longer Detention: With more beds and stricter rules, people are likely to spend more time in custody.
- Remote Facilities: Many new sites are far from cities, making it hard for families and lawyers to visit.
- Less Oversight: No-bid contracts mean less public information about how facilities are run and how money is spent.
- Higher Costs: Taxpayers will pay much more for detention, with billions of dollars going to private companies.
What Are the Alternatives?
Advocacy groups and some legal experts say there are better options than detention. Community-based programs, where people check in regularly with case managers, have been shown to work well and cost less. These programs help people attend their court hearings without being locked up.
Oversight and Accountability: What’s Being Done?
Congress still has the power to visit detention centers and ask for information. However, advocates say that the current system makes it harder to see what’s really happening inside. They are calling for more transparency, regular inspections, and public reporting on conditions and spending.
For official information on ICE detention management, including facility locations and standards, readers can visit the ICE Detention Management Division website.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next?
The future of ICE’s detention system depends on several factors:
- Legislation: If Congress approves the new budget, ICE will have the money to keep expanding.
- Legal Challenges: Courts may block some contracts or require more oversight.
- Advocacy: Groups will continue to push for alternatives and better conditions.
- Public Pressure: Increased attention could lead to more transparency and changes in policy.
Actionable Takeaways
- For Immigrants and Families: Stay informed about your rights and options. If you or a loved one is detained, seek legal help as soon as possible.
- For Advocates: Monitor new contracts and facility openings. Push for transparency and alternatives to detention.
- For Taxpayers and the Public: Follow budget debates and ask lawmakers about oversight and spending on detention.
ICE’s use of no-bid contracts to expand detention beds is changing the landscape of immigration enforcement in the United States 🇺🇸. The coming months will show whether this approach continues, faces legal roadblocks, or sparks new reforms. For now, the debate over how the country handles immigration detention is more urgent than ever.
Learn Today
No-Bid Contract → A contract awarded without competitive bidding to speed up procurement by assigning directly to a provider.
Detention Bed → A space designated to hold a detainee in immigration or correctional facilities under custody.
CoreCivic → A major private prison company receiving contracts for expanding ICE detention facilities nationwide.
Enforcement and Removal Operations → ICE division responsible for arrest, detention, and deportation of unauthorized immigrants.
Bed Quota → Contract clause requiring payment for a set number of detention beds, regardless of occupancy.
This Article in a Nutshell
ICE is rapidly expanding detention bed capacity through no-bid contracts with private prisons, raising transparency concerns. Plans include four 10,000-bed facilities and 14 smaller centers. This surge follows policy changes under the Trump administration, with potential $45 billion funding through 2029, affecting detainees, taxpayers, and immigration enforcement nationwide.
— By VisaVerge.com
