The Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog is reportedly opening a probe into the $38 billion program, approved under former Secretary Kristi Noem, that sought to turn warehouses into immigration detention centers.
The department’s Office of Inspector General, an independent arm of the department that reviews programs to prevent waste, fraud and abuse, is expected to announce a new “audit of ICE acquisition of detention space” Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported.
That includes Noem’s efforts to purchase massive unused warehouses around the country for millions of dollars to be turned into immigration detention centers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to dedicate $38.3 billion toward the program, according to documents released in February.
However, roughly $1 billion was actually spent on warehouses before President Donald Trump ousted Noem.
Already, DHS’s inspector general is investigating Noem’s implementation of a policy requiring her approval for any contract worth more than $100,000 as well as the role of Corey Lewandowski, her unofficial chief of staff.
The Independent has asked the DHS’s Office of the Inspector General for comment.
The department’s Office of Inspector General has not officially announced an inquiry into ICE’s acquisition of warehouses for detention centers.
Over the course of her 14-month tenure, Noem approved the acquisition of roughly 11 warehouses that the department planned to turn into temporary holding facilities for detainees, the Journal reports.
Noem had been pressuring officials to open the facilities by the end of the year, which proved difficult given they weren’t properly zoned for detention and didn’t have working plumbing, the outlet added.
The program was meant to expand detention facility space around the country as federal agents arrested and detained thousands of immigrants at the direction of Trump. The president was fulfilling his promise to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants or migrants with criminal records.
But many of the warehouses purchased were met with scrutiny by residents and officials who fear the facilities could strain local resources, damage the environment or be an eyesore.
One warehouse, located in Roxbury, New Jersey, was purchased for $129 million in February but currently remains empty after local officials successfully petitioned a judge to temporarily halt the project until an environmental review was conducted.
The Arizona attorney general sued ICE in April, in an attempt to stop officials from turning a warehouse in Surprise, purchased for $70 million, into a detention facility.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, officials have challenged the purchase of a $145.4 million warehouse, which currently sits unused.
In Washington County, Maryland, a judge blocked a warehouse, purchased for $102 million, from being turned into a detention center until an environmental review is conducted.
Several reports also accused Noem of grossly overpaying for the warehouses. A report from The Atlantic claimed Noem paid $145 million for the Salt Lake City warehouse, despite its tax-assessed value being $97 million.
