How ICE skirts public input on detention centers

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report – May 5, 2026

Episode: How ICE skirts public input on detention centers

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Episode Overview

This short yet impactful episode explores how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been quietly and rapidly expanding detention centers in American communities, often without local consultation or public input. The investigation centers on ICE’s use of a specialized military contracting mechanism, allowing the agency to bypass traditional transparency measures and community engagement, leading to concerns over accountability, safety, and local impact. Other topics include U.S. government approaches to AI regulation and congressional action on AI companions for minors, but the central segment dives into the opaque procurement and operation of ICE facilities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Shifting U.S. Approach to AI Regulation

[01:01–02:45]

• The U.S. government’s hands-off approach to AI regulation is changing, especially after AI startup Anthropic restricted access to a powerful new model for security reasons.
• Discussion of possible new vetting processes for advanced AI models, with potential oversight from multiple agencies and influence from approaches in the U.K.
• Tech policy conversations highlight concerns about minors forming relationships with AI chatbots and new legislative efforts to restrict such interactions.

ICE’s Rapid and Opaque Expansion of Detention Centers

[05:58–08:49]

The Community Experience

• Residents in places like western Maryland are discovering plans for new ICE detention centers abruptly and with little to no public notice.
• Community members, such as Patrick DiTillio, have organized protests and voiced distress at the lack of local input:
  • Notable Quote [06:25]:
    “I am horrified at the idea and angry and upset.” — Patrick DiTillio

Use of Military Contracting: WEXMAC

• ICE is leveraging the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC), a military-style procurement method, to rapidly obtain and develop detention facilities.
• This method, originally intended for international emergency relief, was designated for domestic use in the previous year to expedite ICE’s expansion needs.
• Insight from Watchdog Groups:
  • Michael Wriston (Project Saltbox) explains the implications:
    • Notable Quote [07:09]:
      “It gives them this intensely fast way of just expediting the procurement process, but then also standing up what they consider turnkey detention facilities.”
  • The process brings a striking lack of transparency:
    • Notable Quote [07:44]:
      “They're essentially treating the United States as a war zone and it's just bringing this enormous level of opacity to what has been a more or less transparent process in the past.”

Consequences and Community Impact

• Facilities like Camp East Montana in Texas have reportedly suffered from over 100 violations and multiple deaths within just months of operation.
  • Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, American Immigration Council, highlights these risks.
• Residents are concerned about environmental and infrastructure strains:
  • Stress on water systems, property values, and emergency services.
• Community Concerns:
  • Notable Quote [08:29]:
    “There was no accountability. I think there could have been significant more steps where public involvement could have happened.” — Patrick DiTillio

Financial Scale and Future Scope

• ICE has already received roughly $1 billion through WEXMAC, with the potential to use up to $65 billion.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Patrick DiTillio, Local Protester:

  • “I am horrified at the idea and angry and upset.” [06:25]
  • “There was no accountability. I think there could have been significant more steps where public involvement could have happened.” [08:29]

• Michael Wriston, Project Saltbox:

  • “It gives them this intensely fast way of just expediting the procurement process, but then also standing up what they consider turnkey detention facilities.” [07:09]
  • “They're essentially treating the United States as a war zone and it's just bringing this enormous level of opacity to what has been a more or less transparent process in the past.” [07:44]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:01–02:45] – Evolution of U.S. AI regulation; AI safety vetting and industry-government collaboration
• [03:09–03:57] – Congress considers banning AI companions for minors
• [05:58–08:49] – Main segment: How ICE expands detention centers without public input, impacts on communities, and financial scope

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Summary

This episode shines a light on how ICE is using a military contracting technique (WEXMAC) to swiftly and discreetly establish new immigration detention centers, largely circumventing public notice and input and leading to significant community concerns over transparency, safety, and local impact. The reporting underscores the gravity of treating domestic projects with emergency, wartime frameworks and calls attention to the device’s human, political, and financial implications.

Transcript

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[Sabri Benishore]

The government's approach to AI is sounding a lot less hands off these days. From Marketplace, I'm Sabri Ben ashore. The US Government's attitude toward regulating artificial intelligence has been on a long roller coaster ride across multiple presidential administrations. The Trump administration's approach has been mostly hands off, but that is changing. The New York Times reported the president's thinking about setting up a safety vetting process for AIs. And the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced this morning that Google, Xai and Microsoft are agreeing to have their new AI models undergo national security reviews. Marketplaces Nova Saffo has more.

[Nova Safo]

President Trump has been loath to regulate AI. On the first day of his second term, he scrapped President Biden's executive order requiring AI companies to disclose safety and security risks. Just two months ago, the White House sent Congress a policy framework that would, among other things, preempt state level AI regulations. But then AI startup Anthropic made a big announcement. It was holding back from the general public its latest model, called Mythos, because it was too good at detecting cyber vulnerabilities. Within days, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held a meeting with bank CEOs to talk about the potential risks to the financial system. Now the White House is reportedly in discussions about forming a working group of industry and government officials to consider a process for assessing a new AI model's safety risks, potentially overseen by several agencies. The New York Times says the process could mirror one being developed in the uk. I'm Nova Safo for Marketplace.

[Sabri Benishore]

Another area of artificial intelligence that's drawing the government's attention is how young people use it as a friend who or even romantic partner. Congress is mulling over a bill that would ban companies from letting people under 18 interact with so called AI companions. That's AIs that simulate interpersonal relationships. Ashley Gold is a reporter at Axios and she spoke about with this with our Marketplace tech show.

[Ashley Gold]

This bill from Senator Josh Hawley is basically meant to keep kids safe online. In this new online world of AI chatbots, it doesn't seek to keep minors from using AI entirely. I think it rules out using AI like in educational contexts and stuff like that. But if it's a chatbot that wants to be your friend or give you advice or have some sort of emotional interaction, that's what they're trying to keep miners from using. So it would ban companies from providing these AI companions for anyone under 18, which is pretty broad. And there are some folks that think that it goes a little too far and that there are some First Amendment issues there. But it's popular, it's bipartisan and it, it passed the committee unanimously.

[Sabri Benishore]

Now as Ashley Gold, a senior tech policy reporter at Axios, you can hear the full conversation at Marketplace, Tech.org and United Health Insurance says it's going to eliminate the need for prior authorization for 30% of its healthcare services and medications and and eliminate even more prior authorization requirements for certain outpatient surgeries. Shares of UnitedHealth Group are down 3, 10%.

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[Sabri Benishore]

Some Americans in the United States are waking up to find out immigration detention centers will soon be built in their communities. They say the facilities are seemingly bought overnight without public input, and there's little to no notice given to local governments. As Scott Moscione from WYPR reports, it can all be traced back to a war focused contracting method Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been using to its advantage.

[Patrick DiTillio]

In western Maryland, protesters gather outside a Washington county commissioners meeting. Patrick DiTillio is among those voicing opposition to the Department of Home Homeland Security's plan to retrofit an 825,000 square foot warehouse into an ICE detention center. I am horrified at the idea and angry and upset. The county commissioners say the center will create jobs and believe it can operate humanely. DHS used a military contracting method called the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple award contract, or Wexmac to to broker a $215 million deal to quickly purchase and build a facility that could hold as many as 1500 people. Michael Wriston is a former DoD intelligence professional and co founder of Project Saltbox, a group that monitors ice. It gives them this intensely fast way of just expediting the procurement process, but then also standing up what they consider turnkey detention facilities. Wexmak was first used during the Biden administration for international emergency situations like natural disasters to set up camps and provide aid using pre approved contractors. But the Trump administration designated wexmax for domestic use last year as ICE scrambles to find enough space to fit detainees. They're essentially treating the United States as a war zone and it's just bringing this enormous level of opacity to what has been a more or less transparent process in the past. Senator Elizabeth Warren recently wrote to the Defense Department over concerns of military contractors running these detention centers. Aaron Reichland Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, cites Camp East Montana and Texas as one example. That facility has seen over 100 violations over the course of the eight months that it's been in operation and three people have died there already. Local residents are worried about the stress the facilities will put on local water systems, property values and emergency services, patrick Ditillio says. There was no accountability. I think there could have been significant more steps where public involvement could have happened. ICE is awarded about $1 billion in Wexmac funding so far, but it can be used for up to $65 billion. In Baltimore, I'm Scott Masuni for Marketplace,

[Sabri Benishore]

and in New York, I'm Sabri Benishore with the Marketplace Morning Report. From apm American Public Media.

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The economy moves fast and when headlines turn on a dime, it is essential that you feel informed rather than overwhelmed. Hey, I'm David Brancaccio, special correspondent for Marketplace and an avid reader of the Marketplace newsletter. Not that I'm partial. Every Friday, Marketplace curates must read stories from the week and delivers explainers right to your inbox. So if you want the latest from me and our team of award winning journalists, head over to marketplace.orgnewsletters and sign up today.