Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, has won a five year contingency contract from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to build temporary detention facilities “in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs.”

“The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other U.S. Government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster,” according to a company press release. “In the event of a natural disaster, the contractor could be tasked with providing housing for ICE personnel performing law enforcement functions in support of relief efforts.”

The open ended contract, which runs initially for one year but could be extended up to five years, could be worth up to $385 million.

The Government Accounting Office has criticized both Halliburton and KBR for cost overruns and inappropriately obtaining government projects under a similar contingency-based program connected to reconstruction work in Iraq, Cray said. The companies’ work in Iraq has ranged from providing meals for soldiers to planning for troops to occupy Iraqi oil fields.

Halliburton’s billions of dollars in revenue from federal contracts — many of them awarded without competitive bidding — have made it a frequent target of critics who accuse the Bush administration of cronyism.

Vice President Dick Cheney is a former Halliburton chief executive officer.

KBR also has faced allegations that, through subcontractors, it hired numerous illegal immigrants to perform rebuilding work in the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina and paid them subminimum wages. The company’s hiring practices in Iraq have come under scrutiny for the alleged exploitation of foreign workers. — San Bernardino County Sun

The Department of Homeland Security has promised to end its “catch and release” policy of releasing non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught at or near the border by October.

I’ll let you figure out what else such camps might be used for. Keep in mind that if there is no emergency requiring detention space, Halliburton doesn’t get a dime from the contract. Such is the nature of the contract.