Being in the detention business has always been profitable. This has become particularly true for those detaining immigrants. The Geo ICE facility in Aurora will be expanding from 400 beds to 1100 at the end of this year and is projected to generate $30 million in revenue annually. 1
Meanwhile, a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office states that Immigration officials are not exercising discretion in who they deport. The GAO states that the officials are arresting and deporting far more immigrants whose only offense is being here without documentation than those who have been convicted of crimes. 2,3
More beds won't encourage agents to use greater discretion. It will instead allow them to continue rounding up and separating families.
1 BizJournal
2http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0867.pdf
3http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-08-67
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Detention to Expand
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1 comment:
Great post Piper, thanks. Folks who work closely with ICE detainees and the staff at the GEO site have voiced that generally they are all very much in favor of the expansion, regardless of its negative impact on the local community. I wonder how the City of Aurora and the residents of Aurora feel about a facility of this magnitude in their community. It’s so depressing to think about—more government money being spent to inflict more human suffering. An expansion of this size (4x) is totally going to change the ICE enforcement regime in Colorado to an extent that’s hard to imagine.
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