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Jayapal seeks probe into ICE’s billion-dollar contracts

Jayapal’s call comes amid worsening detention conditions and renewed scrutiny of ICE after a deadly Dallas attack.

Pramila Jayapal / X (@PramilaJayapal)

Indian American congresswoman Pramila Jayapal demanded that the Government Accountability Office investigate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s billion-dollar detention center contracts with private corporations.

“Trump’s admin is funneling cash to shady private prison corporations — including GOP donors. The American people deserve answers,” she wrote on X.

Also Read: Sikh grandmother sent to India after alleged ICE abuse

Citing 17 detainee deaths in custody since President Donald Trump’s return to office, Jayapal also accused the Department of Homeland Security of violating federal law by blocking unannounced congressional inspections.



In a detailed statement, Jayapal who is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, criticized a $1.2 billion contract for a 5,000-bed detention facility at Fort Bliss Army base, known as “Camp East Montana.” 

The award went to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a company with no experience in correctional management and no history of handling federal contracts above $16 million. Jayapal also highlighted reports of a $2.25 million no-bid contract granted to a Republican donor with a record of fraud.

The developments have also drawn renewed attention to longstanding tensions between Congress and ICE. By law, lawmakers are entitled to conduct oversight visits to detention centers, often without advance notice. 

Yet in recent months, several members of Congress, including Krishnamoorthi, have been denied entry, prompting a lawsuit by House Democrats in July accusing the Trump administration of violating a 2019 statute guaranteeing unannounced access.

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