ICE detention facility operator targets AI worker housing boom

As developers race to build new AI data centres, they are increasingly turning to temporary housing compounds known as man camps to accommodate hundreds or even thousands of short-term construction workers.

This type of camp first became widely associated with housing men working in isolated oil fields. Bloomberg reported, for instance, that workers tied to the conversion of a Bitcoin mining site in rural Dickens County, Texas, into a 1.6 gigawatt data centre are living in grey modular housing units that include access to a gym, a laundromat, game rooms, and a cafeteria where steaks are grilled on demand.

A company called Target Hospitality has secured multiple contracts totalling $132 million to build and manage the Dickens County camp, which could eventually provide housing for more than 1,000 workers.

Target appears to view the rapid expansion of data centre construction in the United States as its biggest growth opportunity, with chief commercial officer Troy Schrenk describing it as “the largest, most actionable pipeline I’ve ever seen.”

Target also owns the Dilley Immigration Processing Centre in Texas, a facility that houses families detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Court filings have alleged that food served at the centre contained worms and mould, and that children there were not properly accommodated when it came to allergies and special dietary needs.