The Government Accountability Office found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasted millions of dollars during a rapid push to expand its detention network, according to CBS News, Common Dreams and HuffPost.
ICE spent billions of dollars overall as it rushed to grow detention capacity, with an unprecedented budget enabling the expansion, CBS News reported.
Common Dreams described the detention expansion as deadly, though this characterization was not corroborated by other sources reviewed.
Axios, a center-leaning outlet, confirmed the core finding that ICE wasted millions in its rush to expand detention, aligning with reporting from left-leaning outlets.
How each side covered it
Left
- CBS News reported ICE spent billions overall while wasting millions amid an unprecedented budget.
- Common Dreams characterized the detention expansion drive as deadly.
- HuffPost emphasized the waste of taxpayer dollars in the detention buildup.
“ICE wasted millions in rapid push to expand detention capacity, watchdog finds” — CBS News
Center
- Axios reported the core GAO finding that ICE wasted millions while rushing to expand detention capacity.
“ICE wasted millions in rush to expand detention, GAO finds” — Axios
Questions readers ask
What did the GAO audit find about ICE's detention spending?
The Government Accountability Office found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasted millions of dollars while rapidly expanding its immigrant detention capacity, according to reporting from CBS News, Common Dreams, HuffPost and Axios.
How much did ICE spend on detention expansion overall?
CBS News reported that ICE spent billions of dollars total as it rushed to expand its detention network under an unprecedented budget.
Did any outlets call the detention expansion dangerous?
Common Dreams described the detention drive as deadly, but this claim was not corroborated by the other sources reviewed.
Was this story covered across the political spectrum?
The audit was covered by left-leaning outlets (CBS News, Common Dreams, HuffPost) and one center-leaning outlet (Axios); no right-leaning coverage was supplied.
Sources · 4 outlet reports
- CBS NewsLeft-leaningICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in rapid push to expand detention capacity, government watchdog finds
- Common DreamsLeft-leaningTrump's ICE Wasted Millions of Dollars on Deadly Immigrant Detention Drive: Audit
- HuffPostLeft-leaningICE Wasted Millions In Taxpayer Dollars To Boost Immigrant Detention: Watchdog
- AxiosCenterICE wasted millions in rush to expand detention, government watchdog finds