ICE continues buying spree with new armored vehicles, luxury SUVs
Public federal procurement data shows new vehicles will soon join the already growing Immigration and Customs Enforcement fleet
Immigration and Customs Enforcement have a batch of new armored vehicles on the way and is looking to pick up a fresh fleet of luxury GMC SUVs, according to public procurement documents published Wednesday.
It’s unclear exactly how many armored vehicles from Massachusetts-based Lenco Industries ICE will be receiving, as exact models differ in price and models weren’t specified on ICE’s notice. The federal government publishes this information on sam.gov, a portal for private organizations doing business with Uncle Sam.
However, it’s safe to assume they will get around 20 trucks (on the higher end, the Lencos go for $400,000 apiece, bringing a conservative estimate on the $8.2 million contract to 20 trucks). The one pictured below is a Customs and Border Patrol vehicle.
ICE is also soliciting sellers to pick up a batch of top-of-the-line GMC Yukon’s, to be distributed across a handful of offices in Washington D.C., Baton Rouge, La., Boston, and Toledo, Ohio. The SUVs retail for about $100k each.
The new and newly-planned acquisitions continue a buying spree that started in August. According to publicly available acquisition data, ICE has purchased or plans to purchase:
Two Ford Raptors for $196,220.26, according to a document posted Aug. 19 by ICE
Three GMC Yukon AT4s for about $100,000 apiece, according to two documents posted Aug. 19 by ICE; second document here
Two Ford Mustangs for $121,450.00, according to a document posted Aug. 19 by ICE
25 Chevy Tahoe SUVs for $2.25 million, according to a document posted Aug. 19 by ICE — this contract was subject to scrutiny by congressional democrats after an investigation by Zeteo showed the awardee was a major Republican donor
All these contracts are no-bid, as in the government didn’t use an open and public acquisition process due to extenuating circumstances, namely, the governments need to recruit new applicants.
ICE said on Sept. 16 its received over 150,000 job applications and extended more than 18,000 job offers.
There’s also been a slew of graphic wrapping services according to another batch of Aug. 19 documents. A handful of companies in the D.C. metro area will outfit ICE vehicles for about $250,000 in taxpayer funds. The graphics are part of a recent recruitment campaign:
Later, on Sept. 9, another document showed a round of vehicle upfitting and graphics services for 20 ICE vehicles for $1,158,404 from an L.L.C in California that appears to be registered at a residential home. The Independent noted this at the time and managed to reach someone at the Sunnyvale, Ca. address for Castle Hill Partners, L.L.C., who said they indeed ran a wrapping business but didn’t comment further.
California Secretary of State’s business registration database doesn’t return any business called Castle Hill Partners L.L.C. with the same address as listed on the ICE procurement document.
Note: To view some SAM.gov files, such as contract awards, a user will need a free account.