ICE detention is a dirty business

Following the money of immigration enforcement

Pamela,   Even before President Trump returned to office, 9 in 10 people in ICE detention were being held in private, for-profit facilities.  Since January, the number of people held in immigration detention has increased by at least 20 percent. In response, private prisons are ramping up capacity.  That's because the federal funding bill passed this July provides roughly $150 billion to fuel Trump's mass detention and deportation agenda. The majority of ICE detention funding will go to private companies contracted to build and run immigration prisons. So let's be extra clear: for the private companies that profit from this cruel and inhumane system, immigration detention is a big business. This summer's reconciliation bill included: Pamela, are you ok with an immigration system that turns a profit from tearing apart families and entire communities? Immigration detention is an unjust and inhumane affront to immigrants' basic rights to freedom and due process. People in detention facilities are forced to endure overcrowding, filth, medical neglect, starvation, coerced labor, family separation, and other horrors. This massive expansion of immigration detention is cruel and entirely unnecessary. The federal government's own data shows that detention is not necessary to ensure that people appear in court for their immigration hearings.  At Vera, we have made it our goal to uncover the realities of the criminal legal and immigration systems and, in turn, expose the dirty business of mass incarceration. We gather advocates, partners, and supporters like you who are ready to fight for a better path forward and brighter future for us all. Our legal systems are low on justice because they value profits, punishment, and politics over people. They need to change NOW.  Are you with us? Thank you,  Vera Institute of Justice © 2025 Vera Institute of Justice. All Rights Reserved.   Vera Institute of Justice 34 35th Street | Suite 4-2A | Brooklyn, NY 11232 (212) 334-1300   Privacy Statement | unsubscribe