Infographic: Detention Means Big Money for For-Profit Prisons

Nearly two-thirds of all immigrant detainees are held by the Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA, and the Geo Group Inc.

Immigration

Media Contact

Julia Cusick

Vice President, Communications

[email protected]

Government Affairs

Peter Gordon

Director, Federal Affairs

[email protected]

Jerry Parshall

Senior Director, Safety and Justice Campaign; Director, State and Local Government Affairs

[email protected]

Part of a Series

Congress’ Costly Detention Quota

Congress’ Costly Detention Quota

A congressional mandate requires that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, maintain bed space to detain 34,000 immigrants per day at an annual cost of more than $2 billion. This arbitrary number is unrelated to the agency’s actual bed-space needs, wasting taxpayer dollars and placing immigrants at risk of abuse and mistreatment in detention facilities. The detention bed quota increases revenue for for-profit prisons.

Sharita Gruberg is a Policy Analyst for LGBT Progress at the Center for American Progress.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.