Trump admin caught overpaying for property owned by allies - BERITAJA

The Department of Homeland Security is facing scrutiny aft a study alleged the Trump management spent monolithic amounts of payer money to acquisition storage properties tied to investors and institutions linked to President Donald Trump. According to findings published by activistic group Project Salt Box and reported by More Perfect Union, DHS paid inflated prices for storage accommodation intended to location detained immigrants, including properties that had sat unsold for years. Critics based on that the purchases efficaciously rescued distressed assets owned by politically connected investors while enriching friends of the president.

DHS spent about $1 cardinal to acquisition warehouses successful 2026 alone

DHS spent about $1 cardinal successful 2026 purchasing warehouses for migration detention operations. BY: Unsplash

According to reports, DHS spent about $1 cardinal successful 2026 purchasing warehouses for migration detention operations. Data reviewed by Project Salt Box showed that respective properties were bought acold supra their estimated marketplace values, pinch immoderate purchases involving markups reportedly reaching arsenic precocious arsenic 1,000%. “In different words, immoderate of these storage income are efficaciously acting arsenic a conveyance for these institutions to waste disconnected different distressed assets and profit from taxpayer-funded investment,” the More Perfect Union study stated. The study alleged that galore of the warehouses had remained connected the marketplace for extended periods earlier the national authorities stepped successful to acquisition them.

Trump-linked investors identified successful deals

Trump himself owns about $5 cardinal successful Blue Owl investments. BY: MEGA

One of the about salient examples progressive a Pennsylvania storage owned by Blue Owl Capital that DHS allegedly purchased for about double its estimated marketplace value. According to reports, Blue Owl donated heavy to Republican legislature groups, while 1 of its board antecedently served connected the committee of 1 of Trump’s companies. More Perfect Union besides reported that astatine slightest 33 members of the Trump management publically disclosed investments connected to Blue Owl aliases firms progressive successful brokering the storage transactions.

The study further claimed that Trump himself owns about $5 cardinal successful Blue Owl investments. “ICE didn’t needfully want to beryllium utilizing warehouses,” said Project Salt Box interrogator Michael Wriston. “The scheme came from folks very adjacent to the White House who were sitting connected properties that were causing them losses each year, and the determination was to bargain them astatine payer expense.”

Major banks besides tied to purchases: reports

Goldman Sachs owned aliases controlled loans tied to respective properties purchased by DHS, including 1 building refinanced only months earlier its authorities sale. BY: MEGA

Reports besides identified connections to Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. According to More Perfect Union, Goldman Sachs owned aliases controlled loans tied to respective properties purchased by DHS, including 1 building refinanced only months earlier its authorities sale. Notably, erstwhile Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin antecedently worked astatine Goldman Sachs earlier serving successful Trump’s administration. However, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson denied engagement successful the transactions themselves, stating, “As a lender, we are not progressive successful the operations and guidance of the portfolios of assets we lend to.”

DHS could yet walk arsenic overmuch arsenic $38 cardinal connected further storage facilities

DHS could yet walk arsenic overmuch arsenic $38 cardinal connected further storage accommodation utilizing costs allocated done Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” BY: Unsplash

More Perfect Union newsman Mae Ryan said the storage inaugural had already generated profits for investors contempt portions of the programme being paused pursuing the departure of erstwhile DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “Even though these warehouses haven’t been converted yet, Wall Street institutions person already cashed in,” Ryan said. According to documents cited by The Guardian, DHS could yet walk arsenic overmuch arsenic $38 cardinal connected further storage accommodation utilizing costs allocated done Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”