Owner of ICE detention facility sees big opportunity in AI man camps

In Brief Posted: 9:30 AM PDT · March 8, 2026 Image Credits:UCG / Getty Images Anthony Ha Owner of ICE detention facility sees big opportunity in AI man camps To house the hundreds or thousands of temporary workers needed to build an AI data center, developers are increasingly relying on temporary villages known as man camps. This style of camp was popularized as housing for men working in remote oil fields. For example, as a Bitcoin mining facility in rural Dickens County, Texas is converted into a 1.6 gigawatt data center, Bloomberg reports its workers are living in gray housing units with access to a gym, a laundromat, game rooms, and a cafeteria that grills steaks on-demand. A company called Target Hospitality has signed multiple contracts worth a total of $132 million to build and operate the Dickens County camp, which could eventually house more than 1,000 workers. Target apparently sees the U.S. data center construction boom as its most lucrative 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 Center in Texas, which holds families detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Court filings have alleged that the center’s food has had worms and mold, and that children have suffered without accommodation for allergies and special diets. Topics AI, target hospitality June 9 Boston, MA Actively scaling? Fundraising? Planning your next launch?TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 delivers tactical playbooks and direct access to 1,000+ founders and investors who are building, backing, and closing.Register by March 13 to save up to $300. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.

Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. Related AI A roadmap for AI, if anyone will listen Connie Loizos 13 hours ago AI Grammarly’s ‘expert review’ is just missing the actual experts Anthony Ha 20 hours ago AI OpenAI hardware exec Caitlin Kalinowski quits in response to Pentagon deal Anthony Ha 23 hours ago Latest in AI In Brief Owner of ICE detention facility sees big opportunity in AI man camps Anthony Ha 2 hours ago AI A roadmap for AI, if anyone will listen Connie Loizos 13 hours ago In Brief Google just gave Sundar Pichai a $692M pay package Connie Loizos 19 hours ago