Below the Surface of ICE: The Corporations Profiting From Immigrant Detention

“At the end of the day, capitalists care only about the surplus value which will be realised as monetary profit. They are indifferent as to the particular commodities they produce. If there is a market for poison gas then they will produce it.” - David Harvey

Throughout US history, private corporations have aided some of the most horrific atrocities we’ve ever seen, in the way they’re currently aiding ICE: Providing technology, building camps, and managing camps. Why? Because it’s profitable. These practices from many of the same corporations operate private prisons, and when we hear ‘private’ we know that immediately, but there isn’t much talk about private corporations behind immigration enforcement and current detention, which should be more well known because some of these companies are well-liked in the US.

“Private prison companies don’t just operate facilities; they build them. As legal entities, both private prison companies claim status as real estate investment trusts. This tax shelter saved Geo Group $43.6 million in 2017 alone, and it boosts revenue as well. Owning and operating detention centers, according to CoreCivic estimates, earns six times more profit per prisoner than just managing operations. Immigrant detention accounted for about a quarter of each company’s revenue in 2017.

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Migrants must be fed and cared for while detained; none of that work is handled by ICE staff. Instead, kitchen, phone, medical, translation and financial services are contracted mostly to specialists that perform the same tasks in private prisons. ICE even contracts out its inspections; a recent inspector general report found that one private inspector, the Nakamoto Group, had waved through substandard facilities. Other contractors transport migrants between facilities or deport them to home countries. When commercial airlines balked at transporting minors ripped from their families, defense contractors stepped in, including General Dynamics and MVM, which has earned $123 million since 2014 for transportation services. CSI Aviation has a contract to run “ICE Air” for charter deportation flights. The motivation to maximize revenue by cutting corners contributes to a nightmarish experience for detainees. Under private contractors, allegations of inedible food, verbal and physical abuse, inadequate medical attention, children covered in lice, and forced ingestion of psychotropic drugs are commonplace. Many migrants work in the facilities for just $1 a day under virtual slave conditions.

Far from shelters and shuttles, contractors supply logistical support for immigration agencies. Consulting firm Deloitte earned $18 million in 2017 for case management. Salesforce has a software contract with Customs and Border Protection. Microsoft handles ICE’s data processing. An obscure surveillance firm called Pen-Link provides ICE with “real-time tracking” through cell phone and geolocation data.”

Here are some companies (not all) involved you’ve probably heard of: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Wells Fargo, and Comcast.