New contract documents revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contemplating 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 Project Salt Box, exposes how 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 WEXMAC TITUS mechanism of the US Navy and came into force in March 2026. Among its provisions is a “Voluntary Work Program for Foreigners”, designed for detainees to perform tasks within the facilities in exchange for minimum 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 to process and transfer immigrants for periods of three to seven days, the contracts describe something much broader: permanent operations of detention, transportation, surveillance and labor programs running for years.

The so-called Voluntary Work Program is not new within the US immigration system. Currently, detained immigrants can work in laundry, cleaning, cooking or maintenance for payments that, according to ICE rules, 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 redacted, including the exact amount 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 Services LLC. Both documents contain identical language, suggesting a standardized model driven directly by ICE.

Lawsuits and criticism for immigration expansion

The revelation comes as ICE faces federal lawsuits over the conversion of industrial warehouses into mass immigration centers. In Williamsport, a federal judge temporarily halted work until a full environmental assessment is completed. In Arizona, another lawsuit remains active while GardaWorld has already begun recruiting security personnel 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 “megacenters,” capable of moving thousands of people between regional facilities.

Civil organizations have warned for years about the conditions inside private immigration centers and the use of detainee labor at 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.