Detainees Pay $20 for Tampons While Earning $1 a Day

California legislators are moving to regulate commissary pricing at ICE detention facilities, where records show a box of tampons retails for $20 and a packet of instant coffee fetches $18.75.

Detainees in California ICE facilities reportedly pay $20 for tampons and $18.75 for instant coffee through facility commissaries.
The federal Voluntary Work Program pays participating detainees $1 per day, creating a purchasing-power gap that lawmakers say amounts to price gouging.
California legislators introduced a bill in July 2026 targeting commissary pricing practices at immigration detention centers operating in the state.
Detainees have no alternative retail access, making commissary vendors the sole source for personal hygiene and food items.
The bill does not address the $1-per-day wage floor set by the federal program.

A box of tampons costs $20 at the commissary. A packet of instant coffee runs $18.75. The daily wage for work inside the facility is $1.00.

California lawmakers introduced legislation this week targeting commissary pricing at ICE detention facilities operating in the state, citing what they describe as price gouging in a market where detainees have no competitive alternative.

The pricing figures come from accounts provided by current and former detainees. Under the federal Voluntary Work Program, participants earn a flat $1 per day — meaning a box of tampons represents a three-week paycheck, and a single packet of instant coffee requires nearly nineteen days of labor to cover.

Commissary contracts at immigration detention facilities are typically awarded to private vendors operating under agreements with facility management. Detainees cannot shop elsewhere. California's bill, introduced in mid-July 2026, would impose state-level oversight on what those vendors can charge.

Federal officials have not publicly responded to the specific pricing figures cited by legislators. The $1-per-day wage rate itself is set by federal policy and falls outside the scope of the state measure.

The bill targets the markup. The markup on the wage is not part of the bill.