GSA head questioned about agency’s involvement in acquiring space for detaining migrants

During a Wednesday hearing, a Democratic lawmaker grilled General Services Administration head Ed Forst about his agency’s involvement — or lack thereof — in the Homeland Security Department’s buying of warehouses across the country to serve as immigration detention centers. 

“These are not perfect-built detention centers designed with appropriate oversight and public input,” said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. “These are commercial warehouses acquired quickly and quietly, bypassing the procurement process with no public notice requirements and no consultation with local officials that GSA standard procedures mandate.” 

While GSA is the agency responsible for federal real estate, Forst said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has the authority to purchase property under the Trump directive declaring a national emergency at the southern border. 

Forst also testified that GSA in September 2025 did not publish certain upcoming DHS lease awards due to national security reasons. And he said that DHS was the only agency he was aware of that GSA had a “surge team” for in order to find new office space for ICE. 

“When our agencies — our clients — have urgent needs, then [surge teams are] something that we choose to do to go ahead and provide them the best service,” Forst said. “I think it's good client service.”

Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, questioned why GSA recently entered an agreement with Pakistan to redevelop the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, which is owned by the South Asian country’s national airline. 

“I'm not trying to be too harsh here, but…the original sin, if you will, is the fact that you don't have the authority to do this,” Larsen said. “Your job is…to build, construct, manage federal property and to dispose of it. I just don't see where this fits in at all. I mean, why doesn’t Pakistan's GSA do this?” 

Forst responded that the agreement with Pakistan doesn’t mandate GSA to take any specific action and that there’s a government nexus because New York City is a “hotly interested location.” 

“[The agreement] obligates us, in good faith, to work together to see if there is a very good outcome for that particular site,” he said. “I would not personally get held up with the fact that it had been a hotel. It could be anything upon redevelopment.” 

The GSA administrator testified that the deal was facilitated by Steve Witkoff, a businessman who is serving as a special envoy to resolve conflicts around the world. 

Forst also said that:

• Required federal office space utilization data, which was delayed by the fall government shutdown, would be published by March 31. 
• GSA’s deferred maintenance backlog is estimated to be $26 billion, but he expects that the true total may be tens of billions of dollars higher. 
• Congress should increase the threshold, currently at nearly $4 million, for GSA to obtain congressional approval to alter federal buildings, arguing that the process slows urgently needed repairs.   

“If we need to replace three elevators in a building…that would approach the limit,” Forst said. “Just that kind of a repair.”

He told the lawmakers that he’s particularly focused on fixing elevators because he gets an email every time someone is stuck in one that is part of a federal building.