Project Salt Box

People held at an ICE tent facility in El Paso stayed an average of 4.5 days, well past the 72-hour limit it operated under, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said in a report released Monday. Inspectors also found unreported force, lost property, and missed showers.

The report came out more than 15 months after the July 2025 inspection. The inspector general said three government shutdowns in fiscal 2026, totaling 123 days, significantly delayed its release.

People held at an ICE tent facility in El Paso stayed an average of 4.5 days, well past the 72-hour limit it operated under, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said in a report released Monday. Inspectors also found unreported force, lost property, and missed showers.

Until July 13, 2025, the facility had no system to track religious or dietary restrictions. Inspectors found a refrigerator at 45 degrees, above the 41 degrees the FDA recommends, holding boxes marked to be kept frozen at 0 degrees or below. The facility kept no electronic record of meals served.

People held at an ICE tent facility in El Paso stayed an average of 4.5 days, well past the 72-hour limit it operated under, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said in a report released Monday. Inspectors also found unreported force, lost property, and missed showers.

In another incident, facility records listed items such as a phone, wallet, and paperwork for two detainees. Staff could not find any of it. Both detainees had been booked out for flights more than once and booked back in when flight weight limits kept them off the planes.

People held at an ICE tent facility in El Paso stayed an average of 4.5 days, well past the 72-hour limit it operated under, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said in a report released Monday. Inspectors also found unreported force, lost property, and missed showers.

The site was built for short stays. Detainees slept on floor mats under aluminized polyester blankets. Long-term ICE facilities must issue a mattress, pillow, sheets, and a blanket. The tent had no on-site medical care and housed high- and low-risk detainees together.

People held at an ICE tent facility in El Paso stayed an average of 4.5 days, well past the 72-hour limit it operated under, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said in a report released Monday. Inspectors also found unreported force, lost property, and missed showers.

Inspectors reviewed 15,975 bookings from March 10 to Sept. 1, 2025. Of those, 6,951, or 44 percent, ran past 72 hours. About 17 percent lasted more than a week, and 100 lasted 29 days or more. On the first day of the inspection, the site held 642 people.

People held at an ICE tent facility in El Paso stayed an average of 4.5 days, well past the 72-hour limit it operated under, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said in a report released Monday. Inspectors also found unreported force, lost property, and missed showers.

With almost no advance warning, DHS has suspended its Acquisition Forecast Planning System tool. Contractors relied on this to see what new contracts the agency would be soliciting — and so did we. Now it looks like no new advanced notice will be given between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5.

We most recently used this as an indicator that ICE was planning ERO ONE.

Related: A joint venture between SK2 and Rudiarius LLC — two firms associated with ICE's infamous warehouse scheme — was recently awarded $655 million to build new detention infrastructure at Gitmo, among other things. The work also includes secure holding cells in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Office of Management and Budget released its first fiscal 2027 apportionment of ICE’s OBBBA operations money on Oct. 20. Of about $43.5 billion in the account, OMB cleared about $7 billion for this year and held $36.6 billion for fiscal 2028. Let's take a peek.

Don’t let that discourage you. Vote now, vote again in 2028, and press your members of Congress on how they will vote to rein in DHS or dismantle it entirely.

The Office of Management and Budget released its first fiscal 2027 apportionment of ICE’s OBBBA operations money on Oct. 20. Of about $43.5 billion in the account, OMB cleared about $7 billion for this year and held $36.6 billion for fiscal 2028. Let's take a peek.

We get asked a lot: “What happens if there’s a blue wave in November?” The answer is not a lot. This money is already law. Taking it back would require a new law, and President Trump can veto it. Overriding a veto takes two-thirds of both chambers. Even if Democrats sweep, they won't have it.

The Office of Management and Budget released its first fiscal 2027 apportionment of ICE’s OBBBA operations money on Oct. 20. Of about $43.5 billion in the account, OMB cleared about $7 billion for this year and held $36.6 billion for fiscal 2028. Let's take a peek.

What ICE can commit to spend right now: - $3.21 billion for detention space acquisition - $2 billion for transportation and removal - $598 million to hire officers - $120 million to hire lawyers - $56 million for bonuses - $645 million for 287(g), including $453 million to reimburse local police

October is nearly over, and for the first time in nearly two years, ICE's contracting activity appears to be at a record low. The agency has mostly renewed a few options here and there, and awarded a few "urgent" contracts — but we aren't seeing the massive activity that has defined the past year.

Doctors and hospitals that treat people in immigration detention have gone about a year without being paid. Now ICE plans to keep the company hired to fix that problem for up to four more years, without taking bids from anyone else.

A new ICE document says Acentra Health could hold the contract through October 2030. ICE blacked out every dollar figure. The company had already been paid $44.6 million as of June, according to @washingtonsun.com , while providers had received nothing.

Found a billion.