Deployed Resources, a company that began by setting up tent facilities for festivals like Lollapalooza, has transformed into a major federal contractor, now poised to play a central role in the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts.
Over the past two decades, Deployed Resources has secured more than $4 billion in government contracts, a new ProPublica investigation revealed. With the government preparing to spend up to $45 billion on immigration detention, Deployed Resources is shifting its focus once again—from housing asylum seekers at the border to detaining immigrants awaiting deportation.
At a border security conference covered by the outlet, a top ICE official revealed that Deployed Resources is modifying its tents in El Paso by adding more rigid structures inside to "make them more secure."
A tent complex in El Paso previously run by CBP has already been transferred to ICE and modified for long-term detention. The project, funded through a $140 million Defense Department allocation, marks the first time these facilities are being used for ICE detainees inside the U.S.
Former DHS officials who requested anonymously to ProPublica warned that using tent facilities for long-term ICE detainees is unprecedented and dangerous, especially for vulnerable populations. The officials highlighted basic health and safety concerns, as well as the potential complexity of segregating those who are potentially violent from non-violent immigrants and minors.
One of the former DHS officials emphasized that "fear" will be an important factor to consider:
"People that you've ripped out of the community, people you've arrested, people who want to get back to their children, people who are scared, are going to behave differently than the border crossing population—You have a lot more fear in the population."
Eunice Hyunhye Cho, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, referred to the plans as a "recipe for disaster."
Deployed Resources has come under scrutiny in the past for its use of public funds and its failure to address child sexual abuse in some of its tent camps.
A whistleblower lawsuit alleges the company cut corners on staff training related to child safety. In another case, workers at an empty children's shelter in North Carolina were reportedly instructed to role-play as if caring for real children for two years, with the government still footing the bill.
According to ProPublica, Deployed Resources' pivotal moment came in 2005, when co-founders Richard Stapleton and Robert Napior met a former FEMA employee. This led to the company's entry into the federal emergency and immigration detention contract system.
Over time, Deployed Resources hired over a dozen former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) insiders, deepening its access to high-value federal contracts.
Recent hires include former ICE field directors and senior executives who are now helping guide the company's expansion in the immigration detention space. This strategy mirrors that of private prison giants like GEO Group and CoreCivic, who are also vying for a share of the anticipated $45 billion in future detention contracts.
On its website, Deployed says it is "dedicated to safely and efficiently providing transparent facility support and logistical services, anytime, anywhere."
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