While recent headlines have focused on the ongoing debate in Washington and around the country about immigration reform, very little attention has been given to the intersection between private, for-profit businesses and the detention of immigrants. We would like to share some important facts about profits and immigration policy in our country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) follows a congressional mandate that the government must detain and house 34,000 immigrants each day. William Selway and Margaret Newkirk outline that this quota does not come cheap for taxpayers; each of those slots costs about $120 per day to keep filled. In total, the United States spends over $2 billion in taxpayer dollars a year to detain immigrants who are awaiting government action on their cases (which can take years). Over half of that amount – more than $1 billion – is spent on private prison facilities. Public financial information from the country’s largest private prison operators shows that the private prison industry is profiting from our country’s current immigration detention policies.
Does the current detention mandate make sense? Should private corporations that spend millions lobbying in Washington profit from the detainment of immigrants?
At Brownstein and Nguyen, we do not claim to have the answers to these policy questions. However, we have seen firsthand the often harsh effects of the government’s detention policies in the lives of honest, hard-working immigrants and the families who depend on them. We are proud to state that we have been able to help thousands of immigrants over the years who seek only a fair chance at a better life for themselves and their families in the United States.
Please do not hesitate to contact Brownstein and Nguyen, your Atlanta immigration law experts regarding immigration custody and detention and other immigration concerns. We have a proven track record of success, showing time and again that our knowledge and experience in immigration law provide clients with the best possible representation when they need it most.
