US to Review Use of Private Prisons for Immigrants

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Monday it will study whether to discontinue using privately-run detention centers for migrants, just a few weeks after the Justice Department announced it will phase out private federal prisons after an internal investigation declared them unsafe.

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Department Secretary Jeh Johnson said he directed his advisory council to evaluate whether the agency should continue to contract with private prison operators and make a recommendation by Nov. 30. Advocates for immigrants have accused the companies of withholding proper mental health and medical care from detainees to boost profits.

After the U.S. Justice Department announced it would phase out the use of private prisons in the federal system on Aug. 18, immigration advocates and members of Congress ramped up pressure on DHS to do the same regarding detention centers.

The pressure on the federal agencies comes in the wake of a scathing new Inspector General’s report which found that privately-owned correctional facilities are both less safe and less effective than government-run prisons.

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“Rather than wait for a review and a report from a committee, the president should ensure that the phase-out of private prisons ... is extended to DHS operations immediately," said Greg Chen, advocacy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Raul Grijalva also asked DHS in a letter last week to end the practice.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, a division of DHS, currently uses detention facilities run by Corrections Corp of America and The GEO Group.

More than 60 percent of 400,000 annual immigrants detainees are being held at private facilities by the U.S. immigration agency. Nine of the 10 largest detention centers are privately operated either by the Corrections Corp. of America or the GEO Group.

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The GEO Group has earned US$1.18 billion from contracts with ICE since 2008, about 35 percent of its total revenue from government contracts, according to the website SmartProcure which tracks government contracts.

Corrections Corp of America earned US$689 million from ICE contracts since 2008, 12 percent of its revenue from state and federal contracts over that time, according to the website SmartProcure.

Most of the detained immigrants in those facilities are people fleeing drug violence and conflicts in Central America, which has been largely worsed by U.S. meddling in the region’s politics and internal affairs.

Both companies also contract with state and local prison systems, which make up about half of their revenue. Corrections Corp of America's stock slid 9.4 percent and The GEO Group's stock fell 6 percent immediately after news of the review.