By MICHAEL BIESECKER and JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press
President Donald Trump's administration has awarded a $1.2 billion contract to a tiny Virginia company to build and operate what's expected to become the nation's largest immigration detention complex at Fort Bliss in Texas. Acquisition Logistics LLC has no experience running correction facilities and had never won a federal contract for more than $16 million. The Pentagon refuses to disclose the Army's contract with Acquisition Logistics or explain why it selected the company to build the massive tent camp. The Department of Homeland Security oversees the camp and says it's "working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways" to fulfill the president's promise of mass deportations.
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JOHN HANNA Associated Press
No-bid contracts with politically connected companies have become crucial to the Republican Trump administration's push for more space to hold immigrants for deportation. Those contracts include one for a now-shuttered private prison in Kansas. An agreement with Tennessee-based private prison firm CoreCivic for reopening a 1,033-bed prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, is part of a surge of contracts issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without seeking competitive bids first. ICE cites a "compelling urgency" for more detention beds for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. ICE's moves have delighted industry analysts on company earnings calls and promised bigger profits but have also drawn criticism. Skeptical city officials argue CoreCivic needs a special use permit.
The world's largest immigration detention system is on the cusp of explosive growth as President Donald Trump pursues his signature campaign promise of mass deportations. The deportations represent a potential bonanza for private prison companies and a challenge to the government agencies responsible for the orderly expulsion of immigrants. Some critics say the administration's plans also include a deliberate attempt to isolate detainees by locking them up and holding court proceedings far from their attorneys and support systems. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is starting to scale up from its current budget for about 41,000 beds to 100,000 beds.
