ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here's Where It's Going Next

"Federal records obtained by WIRED show that over the past several months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS) have carried out a secret campaign to expand ICE's physical presence across the US. Documents show that more than 150 leases and office expansions have or would place new facilities in nearly every state, many of them in or just outside of the country's largest metropolitan areas."

"The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal buildings and functions as the government's internal IT department, is playing a critical role in this aggressive expansion. In numerous emails and memorandums viewed by WIRED, DHS asked GSA explicitly to disregard usual government lease procurement procedures, and even hide lease listings due to "national security concerns," in an effort to support ICE's immigration enforcement activities across the US."

"In El Paso, Texas, for example, the agency is moving into a large campus of buildings right off of Interstate 10 near multiple local health providers and other businesses. In Irvine, California, ICE is moving into offices located next to a childcare agency. In New York, ICE is moving into offices on Long Island near a passport center. In a wealthy community near Houston, Texas, ICE appears poised to move into an office building blocks away from a preschool."

Federal records show that over recent months Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) executed a covert campaign to expand ICE's physical footprint across the United States. More than 150 leases and office expansions would place new facilities in nearly every state, frequently in or just outside major metropolitan areas. Many facilities intended for street-level agents and ICE attorneys sit near elementary schools, medical offices, places of worship, and other sensitive locations. DHS asked the General Services Administration (GSA) to bypass standard lease procurement procedures and to hide lease listings, citing national security concerns, while GSA cooperated to meet ICE workspace needs.

Read at WIRED