ICE Proposes Holding Immigrants in Vans Until They Fill Up
Bid documents do not address food, water or bathroom access
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering using ICE mobile detention vans at immigration enforcement sites.
According to bid documents ICE posted on a federal procurement website on Aug. 28, vans used to transport immigrants would wait near arrest sites. People arrested would remain inside until a van was full or enforcement operations in the area had ended.
ICE describes the vans in the documents as “mobile detention facilities.” The aim is to reduce the time enforcement teams spend traveling between arrest sites and detention facilities, allowing enforcement operations to proceed more efficiently.
The proposal has raised concerns about how people held in the vehicles would be treated. Michael Wriston of the civic watchdog group Project Salt Box said on Aug. 29 that the documents gave “no explanation” of food, water, bathroom access or medical care for people awaiting transport.
The solicitation seeks contractors to operate detention facilities in areas under ICE’s Denver, Miami, Philadelphia and Seattle offices. The ICE mobile detention vans proposal appears in the transportation plan for Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania cities of York, Pittsburgh and Williamsport, as well as Dover, Delaware.
Proposals were due Sept. 14. ICE has not disclosed whether it selected a contractor or how much the plan would cost.
Separately, ICE recently signed contracts worth about $7.3 billion to expand detention facilities in five states, including California.
