Overview
- The procurement documents published on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, show ICE is soliciting bids to retrofit commercial vans as temporary holding units to be used during immigration raids.
- The solicitation sets technical rules that include a minimum vehicle capacity of about 15 people, interior security partitions, a stated 10‑hour continuous limit for women, and required compliance with ICE’s National Detention Standards while leaving key details about toilets and food unclear.
- The GSA solicitation was last updated on Aug. 28, 2026, and carried a final bid deadline of Sept. 26, 2026; the plan is still in the contracting stage and has not been announced as operational by ICE.
- Documents name GTI, the GEO Group transportation arm, as a prospective operator and identify an initial rollout in Pennsylvania locations such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, York, Dover, Williamsport and Pike, with mention of possible regional hubs in Denver, Miami and Seattle.
- Advocates and watchdogs say the model could enable larger, faster raids and raise oversight and humanitarian concerns over sanitation, medical access and private control of custody, a shift that follows earlier, contested plans to expand detention via large warehouses.