Prison Profiteers Ready to Help Trump Make Good on Deportation Threats
Because incoming Pres. Donald J. Trump (R) vowed during his campaign to launch “the largest deportation operation in American history,” the stocks of private prison companies, including The GEO Group and CoreCivic, spiked after his election victory on November 5, 2024. Within 24 hours, GEO Group’s stock ticked up 42% and CoreCivic’s 29%—reaching their highest price levels in five years.
Hoping to capitalize on a second Trump presidency, GEO Group donated $5,000 to his 2024 campaign, the maximum legally allowed; but one of the company’s subsidiaries gave $500,000 to pro-Trump organizations, according to nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility (CREW). Private prison firms “have not only been fueling Trump’s political aspirations, but they have been putting money directly in Trump’s pocket by using his businesses in a pretty conspicuous way,” stated CREW’s Lauren White.
The day after the election, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials issued a request for proposals to expand the agency’s surveillance infrastructure, anticipating a dramatic increase in the number of migrants monitored under its Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP). Managed under a $2.2 billion contract by GEO Group subsidiary B.I. Inc., ISAP currently uses GPS trackers and biometric apps to track some 200,000 migrants awaiting immigration court hearings or deportation. Trump’s promises of workplace raids and detention camps could drive ISAP participation to over 5 million people, making the program 25 times larger.
ISAP participation has doubled since 2020, even under the administration of outgoing Pres. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D), likely because it is more cost-effective than detention. A 2023 ICE notice suggested rebranding ISAP as “Release and Reporting Management” while expanding it to monitor nearly all non-detained migrants awaiting court hearings—a potential 3,000% increase. The latest ICE notice likewise signals the need for bidding companies to support “mass-scale intakes” and handle an influx of surveillance data.
Sources: Reuters, Wired
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