Metadata Exposes Authors of ICE’s ‘Mega’ Detention Center Plans

Wired

by Maddy Varner

February 20, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

A PDF document provided by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte’s office revealed sensitive details about ICE’s plans to build “mega” detention centers across the United States. Embedded comments and metadata in the document exposed the identities of DHS personnel involved in crafting Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Detention Reengineering Initiative (DRI), including Jonathan Florentino, director of ICE’s Newark Field Office, Tim Kaiser, deputy chief of staff for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and David Venturella, a former GEO Group executive overseeing ICE detention center contracts. The document also contained internal discussions about the average length of stay in these facilities, with Venturella confirming that detainees would ideally stay 30 days but 60 days was acceptable. The DRI aims to restructure ICE’s detention network by reducing the number of contracted facilities while increasing bed capacity and streamlining removal operations. According to the document, ICE plans to build two types of facilities: regional processing centers holding 1,000–1,500 detainees for 3–7 days and mega detention centers accommodating 7,000–10,000 people for up to 60 days. These mega centers are part of a “hub and spoke model,” where smaller facilities feed into larger ones. ICE also intends to activate all facilities by November 30, 2026, with plans to purchase or lease offices in over 150 locations across nearly every state. The accidental exposure of metadata in the PDF highlights concerns

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Originally published on Wired on 2/20/2026