The Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy is not only reshaping the lives of thousands of migrants but also fueling a rapidly expanding network of private businesses that profit from detention, transportation, food services, telecommunications, and prison operations.
At the centre of the debate is the growing role of private corporations in the detention and deportation system. As the administration pushes forward with plans to dramatically expand immigration detention capacity, critics argue that a multi-billion-dollar industry has emerged around the detention of migrants, creating financial incentives that extend far beyond border enforcement.
One former detainee, David Gomez, a legal permanent resident originally from Colombia who has lived in the United States since childhood, describes the experience as being both a prisoner and a customer. Arrested during a routine immigration check-in in New Jersey in 2025, Gomez spent six months in detention before a judge ordered his release.
During that period, he says he spent approximately US$5,000 on food, phone calls, and other necessities while being held at facilities operated by private corporations. Legal expenses were additional.
His story highlights the increasingly commercialized nature of immigration detention. Today, approximately 90 per cent of detainees held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are housed in privately operated detention centres. Two major corporations, CoreCivic and The GEO Group, dominate the industry and manage many of the facilities used to house migrants.
The Trump administration has proposed spending US$45 billion to significantly expand detention capacity, increasing the number of available detention beds from approximately 41,000 to as many as 100,000. The funding would support the reopening of previously shuttered prisons and detention centres, many of which are owned by private prison operators.
The detention network extends beyond housing. Transportation of detainees has become a major business sector in itself. ICE increasingly relies on private charter airlines to move detainees between facilities and deportation destinations. The agency is projected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually on transportation and removal operations.
Critics argue that detainees are often transferred thousands of kilometres away from their homes and legal support networks. Such transfers can make it significantly more difficult for individuals to maintain contact with family members, access legal representation, and challenge deportation orders.
Conditions inside some detention centres have also come under scrutiny. Former detainees and advocacy organizations have reported issues ranging from inadequate sanitation and overcrowding to poor food quality. Several facilities have recently experienced hunger strikes as detainees protested living conditions, food standards, and wages paid for voluntary work programs.
Food services at detention centres are often provided either by facility operators or contracted private vendors. Advocacy groups and researchers argue that cost-cutting measures can result in meals that lack adequate nutrition. As a result, many detainees rely heavily on facility commissaries to supplement their diets.
Those commissaries represent another source of revenue. Researchers studying the detention industry have found that basic items sold inside detention facilities often cost several times more than comparable products available in regular retail stores. Detainees frequently spend significant amounts on food, hygiene products, and other necessities.
Communication with family members also comes at a cost. Private telecommunications companies provide phone and account services inside detention centres, with charges accumulating quickly for detainees seeking to remain connected with loved ones and legal counsel. Former detainees report spending thousands of dollars during lengthy periods of detention.
The private detention industry experienced financial challenges in recent years as prison populations declined and government scrutiny increased. However, investor interest surged following the return of tougher immigration enforcement policies. Share prices of major detention companies rose sharply after Trump’s election victory, reflecting expectations of increased government contracts and higher detention populations.
Industry executives have openly acknowledged that their future financial performance is closely tied to immigration enforcement activity. As detention numbers rise, so too does demand for facilities, transportation services, food providers, commissaries, and telecommunications systems.
Supporters of the private model argue that these companies provide necessary infrastructure and services that allow governments to manage large detention populations efficiently. Critics counter that the profit motive creates incentives to maximize detention numbers and reduce costs, potentially at the expense of detainee welfare.
As the United States moves forward with one of the most ambitious deportation programs in its history, the debate over immigration enforcement is increasingly becoming a debate about the role of private enterprise in public policy. For supporters, the system represents an essential component of border security. For critics, it has become an industry where human detention generates substantial corporate profits.
With billions of dollars in new government spending anticipated, the business of immigration detention is expected to remain a major political, legal, and economic issue in the years ahead.