Michael Wriston, if NFounder and Editor of Project Salt Box, a Non-profit that Monitors the Activities of ICE nationwide.
This Newly Revised Paperback is a Very Disturbing Account of :how the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States” by a College Professor Reece Jones. It Can be Ordered From Sherman’s Books, 49 Exchange Street, Portland
Lady Liberty in New York Harbor on the Fourth of July With Fireworks in the Background May Not Seem so Inviting to Immigrants From Around the World under the Trump Administration.
With the wrongful death of Texas resident Lorenzo S. Araujo, 52, on Tuesday by ICE agents dominating the news, the illegal and cruel functioning of the federal agency are back in the news again – once again.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked private contractors Friday, July 10, 2026, morning for at least 5,500 new detention beds across four regions of the country in faciities that must start holding detanees within 30 days of a contract award according to a report issued by Michael Wriston Et Al late on Friday afternoon July 10, 2026. The agency gave the indusry just one week to respond.
The request for information posted to the federal contracting site SAM.go, seeks detention facilities that contractors would own and run themselves near Denver, Miami and Seattle and in central Pennsylvania. Responses to the notice, which includes a 160 page draft statement of work, are due in just five business days – by July 17 at 4:00 pm
“………….ICE plans to award four regional contracts under a flexible structure that lets the agency order detention services as needed rather than committing to a fixed amount upfront. The required minimum capacities include 1,500 beds near Denver, 1,500 near Seattle, 700 near Miami and 1,800 in Pennsylvania – the largest allocation of the four.
The mandate requires each facility to be reserved exclusively for ICE. The agency will accept sites built for low and medium-custody populations, but prefers those capable of handling high-custody detainees.
While contracting documents reviewed by Project Salt Box state that turnkey properties, renovations and new contstruction are all eligible, the timeline tells a much different story. In practice, a strict requirement to begin housing detainees within 30 days of an award effectively limits the field to only existing, fully staffed and functional buildings.
ICE also specified exactly where the detention centers must be located. The Denver facility must be located within 30 driving miles of the field office in Centennial, Co. The Miami detention center must be within 50 driving miles of the field office in Plantation, Florida. The Seattle facility must be within 30 driving miles of the field office in Tukwila, Washingtonn. For the Philadelphia field office, the detention center must be located near the airport in State College, PA.
Those geographic requirements align precisely with four detention facilities currently operated by the GEO Group that ICE already relies on: The Aurora ICE Processing center in Colorado, the Broward Transitional Center in Florida, the Northeast ICE Processing Center in Washington and the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania.
ICE did not explicitly identify these facilities in the notice, name the GEO Group as a prospectdive contractor or indicate whether current operators would receive new contracts. Instead, the agency described the notice as market research intended to gather information from potential providers. Contract officers at ICE did not respond for comment in time for publication.
The Project Salt Box, (PSB) report continues: The request comes as the future of several major detention centers remains uncertain. ICE has discussed potentially purchasing multiple GEO- operated facilities, according to PSB and public remarks from George Zoley, the private prison company’s chief executive. At the same time, the agency is seekig new contracts to continue using its existing footprint.
Driving this push is an impending deadline. All four GEO Group-operated facilities matching the geographic footprints in the notice are running on contracts or operating agreements set to expire between August and October, forcing ICE to act quickly to avoid losing detention capacity. All four processig centers currently anchor ICE’s regional enforcement network. The new solicitation provides a legal pathway to mainain access to those locations before current agreements lapse.
“……………………………………………………………………………..Whether reviving a mothballed facility in rural Colorado or expanding a prison footprit in Arizona floodplain the strategy remains uniform. Nationwide ICE is moving aggressively on multiple procurement tracks to solidify its grip on any facility it can to hold detainees.
This publication is committed to transparency and accountability regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s expanding footprint. PSB welcomes information, documents and data from sources with firsthand knowledge of agency contracts and capabilities. To better protect your identity, do not contact us from a work-issued device or network. PSB seeks information of public interest, but we do not want and cannot accept classified information.