U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has again contracted GardaWorld Security, the Montreal-headquartered international security company, this time for work connected with immigration enforcement and detention in Texas.

ICE awarded two contracts in late August to GardaWorld's U.S. branch. Together, the contracts have a minimum value of nearly US$118 million, or about C$165 million, and their potential maximum value exceeds US$1.3 billion, or roughly C$1.9 billion.

The first involves converting a warehouse in San Antonio into a new immigration detention centre and then operating the facility. That contract has a minimum value of approximately US$17.3 million and could ultimately be worth more than US$1 billion.

The second contract covers armed ground transportation for people detained by ICE in Texas. It runs from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027 and could be extended for another three years. Its minimum value is approximately US$100.5 million, with a potential maximum of roughly US$382.3 million.

That transportation contract has already been challenged. On September 10, another U.S. security contractor formally contested ICE's decision to award it to GardaWorld. ICE consequently suspended the contract while the challenge is considered.

GardaWorld is headquartered in Montreal and operates internationally. In 2022, the Quebec government invested $300 million in the company to support its international expansion.

The company's U.S. operations already have significant ties to ICE. In March, ICE awarded GardaWorld's American branch a US$313-million contract related to the renovation and operation of a detention facility in Arizona.

GardaWorld was also involved with the controversial Florida immigration detention facility widely known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” That facility closed during the summer following months of protests, litigation and allegations that detainees were being held in inhumane conditions.

A report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general raised concerns about conditions there. Among other findings, investigators said detainees had sometimes been kept for as long as two hours in small metal enclosures described as “calming areas.” The inspector general concluded that this practice failed to meet standards for humane treatment.

The report also identified concerns involving detainees' access to clean drinking water and legal representation.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected allegations that conditions at the facility were inhumane. A GardaWorld spokesperson said the company understood that the operations identified as non-compliant in the inspector general's report had not been carried out by GardaWorld Federal.

The new Texas contracts have nevertheless attracted political criticism in the United States. Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro, whose district includes part of San Antonio, said last week that he was shocked that another contract had been awarded to GardaWorld given the allegations surrounding the Florida detention facility.

Karen Hamilton, director of Above Ground, a Canadian organization that advocates for corporate accountability abroad, described the new contracts as disappointing but unsurprising.

Above Ground began monitoring GardaWorld following its involvement with the Florida facility. Hamilton said the organization was concerned about whether GardaWorld had conducted adequate human-rights due diligence and taken sufficient steps to ensure that a Canadian company was not contributing to abuses in a high-risk environment.

She said the Texas contracts are consistent with GardaWorld's broader expansion strategy and noted that contracts of this kind are financially lucrative.

Above Ground is advocating for stronger Canadian oversight of companies potentially connected to human-rights abuses outside Canada. Hamilton argued that Canada currently has few effective mechanisms for holding a company such as GardaWorld accountable for overseas activities.

She also pointed to the Quebec government's investment in the company. In her view, there is a disconnect between public investment from Quebec and concerns among Canadians and Quebecers about how the company subsequently conducts business abroad.

Hamilton rejected the idea that the use of GardaWorld's American subsidiary separates the Montreal parent company from those activities. The parent company ultimately benefits financially from its subsidiaries, she argued, and that benefit also entails responsibility by Canadian corporate leadership for their activities.

Quebec's economy ministry declined to comment directly on GardaWorld's ICE contracts. A ministry spokesperson said the company continues to comply with the commitments associated with the province's investment, which predated GardaWorld's involvement with ICE.

Neither GardaWorld nor ICE commented on the newly awarded contracts. GardaWorld also declined to provide further comment about the allegations surrounding the Florida detention facility.

New ICE contracts for Quebec-based security firm involved with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’