Two companies in south Alabama received federal contracts related to expanding detention beds across the country for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to official government spending data.

The two companies from Mobile are identified as Kastel Enterprises and Rapid Deployment Inc. Both entities market themselves as providers of emergency response services.

These services also included the capacity to provide tents or soft-sided facilities which have been built as temporary holding spaces for ICE detainees.

The USASpending website shows that both companies started the contracts on May 17 and have an end date for May 16, 2027.

“Each company received a task order valued at $250, allowing ICE to quickly dole out larger deals moving forward,” Bloomberg reported.

The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to AL.com‘s request for comment.

The website also provides a description of the contract awarded to both businesses.

The description states that the awards are for “emergency detention and related services for aliens in immigration and customs enforcement custody within the contiguous United States and areas outside the contiguous United States.”

ICE established the contract opportunity to “bring an additional allotment of detention beds online nationwide” to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump, according to SAM.gov.

After returning to the White House in January, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border which has been used as a justification to expedite contracts for detention beds, according to the Associated Press.

While the contract was created to help with increasing detention beds, it is unclear what specific work Kastel Enterprise and Rapid Deployment will be conducting or if it will take place in Mobile.

AL.com spoke with a representative for Kastel, who refused to identify herself. She stated that the there was misinformation out there as the company was not involved in “building any ICE facilities.”

Community members are concerned that Kastel Enterprises is contracting with ICE and possibly helping to build tent camps.

The representative for Kastel refused follow-up questions saying, “We’re not allowed to make any comments at this time.”

Yolanda Carreras, an organizer with Latinos United Mobile, questioned why the company would be helping ICE in any capacity.

“Kastel enterprises is woman-owned, and they’re certified with like minorities and women enterprises,” Carreras said. “So, the question is if you claim to support minorities and stuff like that, then why are you working with ICE.”

Kastel Enterprises describes itself as a woman-owned “small business specializing in disaster response, facility support, workforce housing, and wrap around services,” according to the company’s website.

According to LinkedIn, Macy Nelson is identified as the owner and CEO of Kastel Enterprises. Nelson was at Mar-a-Lago in February, she posted to her social media.

Efforts to reach Rapid Deployment were unsuccessful by AL.com.

Rapid Deployment was previously awarded a contract under former President Joe Biden’s administration to create a tent city in Texas for migrant children who arrived at the border alone.

According to VICE News, the facilities built by the contractor were criticized for feeling like “an internment camp, where kids are surrounded by a secure perimeter and crowded into flimsy tents.”

Rapid Deployment‘s CEO, Bruce Wagner, has been dubbed the “Master of Disaster” due to his prolific record of assisting and profiting from natural disaster responses.

Wagner is also a Republican and according to his social media he attended Trump’s inauguration ball and went to Mar-a-Lago in February.

Both Rapid Deployment Inc. and Kastel Enterprises will likely be competing in eight different categories related to ICE’s needs, Bloomberg reported.

These categories include assistance with facilities, operation, transportation, medical care and legal resources.

As ICE detention centers continue to fill rapidly as the Trump administration stresses daily arrest totals, advocates remain concerned about overcrowding and inhumane conditions.