New contract documents revealed that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) It contemplated using detained immigrants in work programs inside processing centers installed in huge warehouses in Maryland and Arizona, even before finalizing the purchase of the properties.
The information, based on federal procurement records and taken up by investigations cited by Mission Salt Fieldexposes how the immigration authorities structured long-term operating contracts for facilities that had been publicly presented as spaces for short stays and temporary transfers.
The contracts were issued on December 22, 2025 under the US Navy’s WEXMAC TITUS mechanism and They came into force in March 2026. Among its provisions appears a “Voluntary Work Program for Foreigners”designed for detainees to perform tasks within the facilities in exchange for minimal payments.
The plan included two complexes: one near Williamsport, Maryland, purchased for more than $102 million, and another in Surprise, Arizona, purchased for approximately $70 million.
The work program within the centers
Although ICE has publicly maintained that these spaces would be used primarily for process and transfer immigrants for periods of three to seven daysthe contracts describe something much broader: permanent operations of detention, transportation, surveillance and labor programs running for years.
The call Volunteer Work Program It is not new within the US immigration system. At the moment, Detained immigrants can work in laundry, cleaning, cooking or maintenance for payments which, according to ICE regulations, can be as little as a dollar a day.
However, immigration experts and advocates question that this model appears within facilities that were supposed to be only temporary admission and transfer centers.
The documents also show that several key sections of the contract were redactedincluding the exact amount that the contracting companies would receive for each detainee incorporated into the labor program.
In Maryland, the contract was awarded to KVG LLC. In Arizona, the operation was left in the hands of GardaWorld Federal Companies and products LLC. Both documents contain identical language, suggesting a standardized model driven directly by ICE.
Lawsuits and criticism for immigration expansion
The revelation occurs while ICE faces federal lawsuits over warehouse conversions industrialists in massive migratory centers. In Williamsport, a federal judge temporarily halted work until a full environmental assessment is completed. In Arizona, another lawsuit remains active as GardaWorld has already begun recruiting non-public security for the Surprise site.
One of the points that drew the most attention within the contracts is the projection of long-term operations. Although ICE defended in court that the facilities would have limited capacity, the documents contemplate full months of continuous operation and renewal options for several additional years.
The records also include references to detention “mega centers”capable of moving a long way of people between regional facilities.
Civil organizations have warned for years about the conditions inside private immigration centers and on the use of detainee labor with symbolic salaries. For activists, the new documents show that ICE’s expansion goes far beyond temporary processing spaces.
Additionally, both contracts prohibit operating companies from making public statements about the facilities without prior authorization from ICE, a detail that has also raised questions about transparency.
While the legal disputes progress, the federal government maintains its plans to expand the immigration detention network in different regions of the country.
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