Which private companies hold the largest detention and transport contracts with ICE and what are the contract values?
Executive summary
The largest private detention contractors for ICE are the traditional private‑prison operators—led by The GEO Group and CoreCivic—while a separate group of logistics, surveillance and services firms hold the largest transport, monitoring and support awards; notable contract values include a reported 15‑year, $1 billion GEO facility contract and skip‑tracing/transport awards that reach into the tens and low hundreds of millions of dollars [1] [2] [3]. Public contracting databases and reporting show many other firms with smaller, specific awards (IT, laundry, lab services, delivery), and totals and rankings shift depending on whether one counts awarded, potential or preliminary contract values [4] [5].
1. The duopoly that dominates detention: GEO Group and CoreCivic
GEO Group and CoreCivic are repeatedly identified as ICE’s largest detention contractors: reporting shows GEO reactivating multiple facilities (6,600 beds) and reopening major processing centers to house detainees, and CoreCivic moving to reopen family detention capacity such as Dilley — positioning both as the primary operators of privatized ICE beds [3] [1] [6]. GEO’s recent high‑value award cited by Stateline describes a 15‑year contract to operate Delaney Hall in Newark valued at $1 billion, a concrete example of the long‑term, high‑dollar detention deals the private‑prison firms are securing [1]. Historically, the two firms have been major earners from ICE: one estimate cited combined earnings of roughly $985 million in 2017 from ICE contracts, underscoring how large custody operations can translate into very large revenues for the duopoly [7].
2. Transport, monitoring and “bounty‑hunting” contractors: where the big transport dollars sit
Transport and enforcement support are carried out by a mix of military/IT contractors and service firms rather than the prison operators alone; recent reporting identifies SOS International (SOSi) with skip‑tracing and related work that could earn up to $123 million under new enforcement programs, and Government Support Services with potential awards up to roughly $55 million tied to staffing and program support for so‑called bounty or location‑finding operations [2]. Facing South and other analyses also flag firms supplying detention‑support logistics and emergency detention centers that carry potential awards in the tens to low hundreds of millions [8] [9]. These transport and tracking awards often come as separate line items from bed‑management contracts and can be structured as potential maximum values rather than guaranteed payouts [2] [4].
3. Large ancillary contractors: IT, communications, labs and vendors
Beyond beds and buses, large IT and communications contractors capture significant ICE dollars: CACI International was reported with an award worth about $119.9 million (potential to increase to $130.6 million) to provide tactical communications and support, and other IT or software licensing deals—such as Dell Federal Systems’ $18.8 million licensing award—add sizeable, specialized contracts [5]. Laboratory, medical and facility suppliers also appear: Labcorp has contracts potentially valued up to $21.4 million for lab services in detention settings, and small but visible supply contracts—like Ecolab’s roughly $136,518 laundry/cleaning award—illustrate the range from multi‑million system contracts down to routine facility supplies [8] [5] [10].
4. How “largest” is measured — awarded vs. potential vs. preliminary
News outlets, watchdogs and advocacy groups rely on USASpending and agency announcements but differ in counting: some figures are “potential” contract values or preliminary proposals, others are obligations already paid, and some reported deals remain subject to extension or cancellation [4] [1]. For example, contract descriptions for detention centers often list long‑term potential values (the GEO 15‑year $1B award is a stated contract value), while many transport and surveillance contracts list ceilings that may not reflect actual expenditures to date [1] [2].
5. Takeaways and reporting limits
Public sources converge on two firm conclusions: private‑prison companies (GEO and CoreCivic) hold the largest detention‑management contracts by scale and duration, and a disparate set of contractors (SOSi, Government Support Services, CACI, Labcorp and logistics carriers) hold the largest transport, surveillance and support contracts with award ceilings ranging from tens of millions up to the low hundreds of millions [1] [3] [2] [5] [8]. Precise, current rankings and cumulative dollar totals require direct, up‑to‑date pulls from USASpending or ICE procurement records because many reports cite potential or preliminary values rather than final obligated totals [4].