Improperly Redacted Documents Reveal Another Company Involved in ICE's Detention Reengineering Initiative
An improperly redacted document filed as part of DHS’s response to New Jersey’s motion for a preliminary injunction has revealed yet another company involved in the agency’s push to buy and renovate warehouses for detention expansion. The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, prepared by Partner Engineering & Science, was submitted by DHS as Exhibit 3 to its Opposition Brief filed on April 23. At first glance, several names and data points appear blacked out. But by copying and pasting the contents of the PDF into a text editor, Project Salt Box found that the redactions were only cosmetic, allowing the supposedly hidden information to be recovered.
Most notably, another company has emerged as a potential key player in DHS’ Detention Reengineering Initiative - Rudiarius, LLC.
The company is listed as the user of the report. While it’s unclear exactly what Rudiarius’ role was in the Roxbury warehouse, users of Phase I ESAs typically include brokers, developers, and firms conducting due diligence. Given that JLL is listed as the broker, it’s likely that Rudiarius was operating on behalf of DHS to conduct due diligence of the site - perhaps as a subcontractor to another firm, since the company itself does not have any direct contracts with the agency.
A Brand New Player at DHS
With a business registration filed in Wyoming in July 2025, Rudiarius appears to be a recent entrant into DHS contracting. The original address on the filing is a residence in Dorchester, MA, owned by James (Jim) Grossmann, who, around the same time, also formed several related companies, including Rudiarius Holdings and Rudiarius Solutions.
Rudiarius Holdings is registered in SAM.gov, a prerequisite for doing business with the federal government. NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are used by federal agencies to categorize businesses based on the type of economic activity they perform. The primary NAICS code listed for the company is 236220: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction. An interesting side note: the new construction contracts ICE is planning on establishing use this same NAICS code.
The address for Rudiarius Holdings is listed as 12 Ericsson St., Dorchester, MA - the address of Boston-based construction firm RISE Construction, also co-owned by Mr. Grossmann. The company has faced financial strain in recent years, including liens and litigation involving unpaid amounts to subcontractors on multiple projects.
Ties to the Social Circle, GA Warehouse
The Roxbury warehouse Phase I ESA is not the first time Rudiarius has been associated with DHS’ Detention Reengineering Initiative. In documents released by Social Circle, GA, Mr. Grossmann’s name and signature appear on the Infrastructure Analysis provided to the City by DHS.
It appears that Grossmann and his team, possibly operating through Rudiarius, conducted the engineering assessment and analysis of the site and concluded that the project would have “no adverse effect on the community and surrounding properties.” Local officials in Social Circle disputed this finding, saying the document was “insufficient in fully answering our questions and does not adequately support the conclusion that the surrounding area would not be impacted.” They further noted that their concerns about water and sewer infrastructure remained unaddressed to their satisfaction and that they left the meeting with “more questions than answers.”
Another Piece to the Puzzle
Given that Mr. Grossmann/Rudiarius can be linked to at least two of the warehouses purchased by ICE, it’s not unreasonable to assume the company has been involved in others. This places them among several other key players. These companies include SK2 LLC, who was tapped to advise DHS on identifying, structuring, and brokering warehouse acquisitions for ICE’s detention initiative, and Solv LLC, who has supported the agency with their environmental and historical reviews of the warehouse properties.
Both SK2 and Solv hold prime contracts with DHS, while Rudiarius does not, suggesting that Grossmann may be operating either as an independent consultant or as a subcontractor under another firm. This makes Rudiarius harder to spot in standard procurement records, even as traces of its involvement show up in technical documents. What is striking here is that DHS specifically attempted to obscure Rudiarius’s role in this filing - despite leaving other companies fully visible in comparable materials - raising questions about why this particular company was treated differently and what, exactly, the agency is trying to keep out of view.
Project Salt Box was unable to locate contact information for Rudiarius LLC, and the company could not be reached for comment.
Thank you for the info. Keep up the good work!
So much $$$ available - greed by companies overwhelms any considerations of honesty and moral compass. So, so sad is our country today.