U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has contracted a Montreal-based security firm again, this time to assist its efforts in Texas.
asserted
Enforcement → contract → Texas
ICE awarded two new contracts to the American branch of GardaWorld Security in late August.
asserted
ICE → award → August
Together, these contracts have a minimum value of close to US$118 million (C$165 million) and could reach a value of over US$1.3 billion (C$1.9 billion).
uncertain
contracts → have → billion
The second contract is for armed ground transportation of people detained by ICE in Texas.
asserted
contract → detain → Texas
The contract spans the period between Sept. 1, 2026, and Aug. 31, 2027, with a possible extension for three more years.
asserted
contract → span → years
Its value could reach around US$382.3 million.
uncertain
value → reach → million
On Sept. 10, days after the second contract was awarded, an American security contractor formally challenged ICE’s decision to award the contract to GardaWorld.
asserted
contractor → award → GardaWorld
ICE has suspended the contract due to this challenge.
asserted
ICE → suspend → challenge
GardaWorld is an international security firm headquartered in Montreal.
asserted
GardaWorld → headquarter → Montreal
In 2022, it received a $300-million investment from the government of Quebec “to support its global strategic vision,” according to a press release.
uncertain
it → receive → release
In March, ICE awarded a US$313-million contract to the American branch of GardaWorld to work on renovation and operation of another detention facility in Arizona.
asserted
ICE → award → Arizona
GardaWorld previously worked on the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz,” a detention facility in the Florida Everglades.
asserted
GardaWorld → work → Everglades
The facility closed this summer after months of protests, lawsuits and allegations of inhumane living conditions for detainees.
asserted
facility → close → detainees
On Monday, a report by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general outlined how detainees were held for up to two hours in small metal enclosures used as “calming areas,” a practice that “does not meet standards for humane treatment,” the report read.
asserted
report → outline → treatment
The report listed a number of other concerns with the conditions in the facility, such as access to clean drinking water and to legal representation.
asserted
report → list → representation
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The Department of Homeland Security said in response to the report that any allegations of inhumane conditions are false.
asserted
allegations → get → conditions
“To our knowledge, the operations characterized as non-compliant in the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report were not performed by GardaWorld Federal,” a spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → characterize → Federal
Last week, Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who represents a district that covers part of San Antonio, said he was “shocked” to hear the federal government had awarded another contract to GardaWorld, despite the allegations around “Alligator Alcatraz.”
asserted
government → represent → Alcatraz
Karen Hamilton, director of Above Ground, an organization pushing for accountability for Canadian companies working abroad, said the new contracts were “disappointing, but not surprising.”
asserted
contracts → push → companies
Above Ground started following GardaWorld after the “Alligator Alcatraz” contract, she said, calling the company’s response to the outcry around the condition in the facility “dismissive.”
asserted
she → start → facility
“There is just a general situation where you have a context of heightened human rights risk and serious concerns about whether GardaWorld had done proper due diligence, was taking proper steps to ensure that this Canadian company would not be involved in that abuse,” she said.
asserted
she → be → abuse
She said the new contracts fit into GardaWorld’s philosophy of expansion.
asserted
contracts → say → expansion
“It’s not surprising that it’s now going after other contracts.
asserted
it → ’ → contracts
These are lucrative contracts,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
Above Ground is lobbying for oversight and accountability for Canadian companies involved in potential human rights abuses abroad.
asserted
Ground → lobby → abuses
Hamilton said the Canadian government has very few mechanisms to hold a company like GardaWorld to account for their actions abroad.
asserted
company → say → actions
“It’s a company that was invested in by Canadians, by people from Quebec, and there are concerns from those same people about the operations of this company abroad.
asserted
that → ’ → company
That’s a real break between the investment that was provided for the expansion of this company and where the company chose to go with that,” she said.
asserted
she → ’ → that
The fact that the contracts involve the American branch of the company does not shield the Canadian parent company, said Hamilton.
asserted
Hamilton → involve → company
“They all feed through to the top.
asserted
They → feed → top
So the parent company, which is headquartered in Montreal, benefits from the activities of its subsidiaries.
asserted
which → headquarter → subsidiaries
The leadership benefits — it profits from the actions of its subsidiaries,” she said.
asserted
she → benefit → subsidiaries
With that profit comes a responsibility from the Canadian leadership over the actions of its branches abroad, she added.
asserted
she → come → branches
A spokesperson for Quebec’s economy ministry declined to comment on GardaWorld’s contracts with ICE.
asserted
spokesperson → decline → ICE
“GardaWorld is respecting all its engagement tied to (provincial) investment, which predates the company’s involvement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” he wrote in an email.
asserted
he → respect → email
Both GardaWorld and ICE refused to comment on their latest contracts and GardaWorld did not comment further on the “Alligator Alcatraz” allegations.
asserted
GardaWorld → refuse → allegations
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.
asserted
report → publish → Press
— with files from The Associated Press
A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that a US$313 million contract was awarded by ICE to GardaWorld earlier this year for work on a detention facility in Florida known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
asserted
contract → report → Alcatraz
In fact, this contract was not awarded by ICE.
asserted
contract → award → ICE
ICE awarded GardaWorld a contract for work on a facility in Arizona.
asserted
ICE → award → Arizona
The Aporia
