The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the Bureau of Prisons spent more to incarcerate noncitizens after the Biden administration ended renewals of privately operated criminal-detention contracts. According to the report, Bureau of Prisons spending on noncitizen incarceration rose from $935 million in fiscal 2021 to $1.1 billion in fiscal 2023 while the number of noncitizens held stayed about the same, and private facilities had cost 22% to 35% less than comparable low-security federal prisons.
Why it matters: The report adds new evidence to debates over how the U.S. detains noncitizens convicted of federal crimes and what detention models cost taxpayers. Supporters of private facilities argue the findings support expanding bed space, while critics of private detention have raised broader concerns about privatization and detention policy.
John Binder
2026.10.01
100% relevant
This article appears to establish a distinct story centered on a new GAO report about Bureau of Prisons costs after the 2021 decision to phase out privately operated criminal-detention contracts, not the separate tracked story about ICE wasting money while expanding immigration detention.
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