3:44 am - February 12, 2025
The Rise of Private Prisons Under Joe Biden and Donald Trump: A Tale of Broken Promises and Expanding Profits
A Broken Promise: Joe Biden’s Failure to End Private Prisons
Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign was built on bold promises, including a vow to end the federal government’s reliance on private prisons. These facilities had long been criticized for their abusive treatment of inmates and lack of accountability. However, by the end of his term, Biden’s record on this issue was far from stellar. While he successfully ended contracts between the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and private prisons, he allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to continue—and even expand—its use of these controversial facilities. As a result, the number of people detained in private prisons under federal contracts has actually increased since Biden took office, according to data obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
This exemption for ICE not only undermined Biden’s progressive rhetoric but also set the stage for Donald Trump to rapidly expand the use of private prisons upon his return to office. In the final months of Biden’s administration, ICE began soliciting proposals from companies like Geo Group and CoreCivic to expand private prison capacity in at least seven states. Despite allegations of poor conditions and mistreatment in these facilities, the stage was set for a lucrative new era for the private prison industry under Trump.
A Lucrative Windfall: How Private Prisons Are Profiting Under Trump
The private prison industry has long benefited from Republican administrations, and Trump’s return to power has proven no exception. In the months following Trump’s election, shares of Geo Group and CoreCivic skyrocketed, rising by 133% and nearly 60%, respectively, far outpacing the broader stock market. Advocates warn that these companies will profit at every stage of the deportation process, from detention to monitoring and deportation.
Bianca Tylek, founder of Worth Rises, a nonprofit opposed to private prisons, described this as the "windfall they were waiting for." The industry’s ties to the Trump administration run deep. Geo Group, for instance, was the first corporation to max out donations to a Trump super PAC during the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, at least nine former ICE officials have joined Geo Group’s ranks, highlighting the revolving door between government and the private prison industry.
A Troubling History: The Cycle of Private Prison Expansion and Controversy
The fortunes of private prison companies have long fluctuated with political administrations. In 2016, President Barack Obama ordered the Justice Department to phase out private prisons after a report revealed they were more violent than publicly run facilities. Trump reversed this decision during his first term, and private prisons flourished under his immigration policies.
Biden attempted to reverse course again in 2021, ordering the BOP and the U.S. Marshals Service to stop contracting with private prisons. However, private prison companies adapted by shifting their focus to ICE detention contracts. By the end of Biden’s term, ICE was detaining nearly 90% of its immigrant detainees in private prisons—a figure nearly identical to that at the end of Trump’s first term. The number of federal detainees in private prisons is now higher than when Biden took office, despite his progressive rhetoric.
Legal Battles and Controversies: Abuse and Exploitation in Private Facilities
The expansion of private prisons under both Biden and Trump has occurred amid ongoing allegations of abuse and exploitation. Geo Group is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that detainees at one of its California facilities were exposed to hazardous chemicals. Another Geo Group facility in Washington has faced repeated hunger strikes over poor food, medical care, and living conditions.
CoreCivic, another major private prison company, is under investigation by the Department of Justice’s civil rights division for staffing shortages that allegedly exposed inmates to violence and sexual assault at a Tennessee correctional facility. Despite these controversies, both companies have denied wrongdoing, claiming their facilities operate under strict government oversight and adhere to ICE standards.
However, documents obtained by CNN reveal that hunger strikes have been a common form of protest in private ICE facilities across the country. Detainees have cited denial of medical care, poor conditions, and physical and sexual assaults as reasons for their protests. In January, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Geo Group must pay $23.2 million in back pay to former detainees who were paid just $1 a day for their labor, violating state minimum wage laws.
The Future of Immigration Enforcement: Mass Deportations and Private Prison Expansion
Trump’s return to office has brought a renewed focus on hardline immigration policies, including mass deportations and the expansion of detention capacity. In his inaugural address, Trump vowed to begin the process of deporting "millions and millions of criminal aliens," while his administration has issued sweeping executive orders to dismantle asylum protections and expand ICE’s authority.
To achieve these goals, Trump is relying heavily on private prisons to rapidly expand detention capacity. ICE has estimated that expanding detention for migrants charged with criminal offenses could cost more than $3.2 billion annually. The agency currently has funding for over 41,000 detention beds but would need to contract for at least 110,000 beds to meet the demands of a GOP-led detention bill.
However, this expansion faces significant legal and logistical challenges. Much will depend on Congress’s willingness to allocate the necessary funds. Former ICE official Scott Shuchart warned that Trump’s plans would require a massive increase in ICE’s budget, which may not be feasible without bipartisan support. Nevertheless, the private prison industry is poised to reap enormous profits from the detention of hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of immigrants.
The Human Cost: Profits Over People in the Private Prison System
The debate over private prisons is not just about dollars and cents; it is about the lives of those detained in these facilities. Advocates argue that the industry’s profit-driven model prioritizes cost-cutting over humane treatment, leading to widespread abuse and neglect. The ACLU has documented alarming conditions in private prisons, including overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and the exploitation of detainees for cheap labor.
As the private prison industry continues to expand under Trump, the cycle of abuse and exploitation shows no signs of slowing. The Biden administration’s failure to fully confront this issue leaves a grim legacy, while Trump’s aggressive immigration policies promise to deepen the crisis. The story of private prisons in America is one of broken promises, political opportunism, and the commodification of human suffering. It is a reminder that the pursuit of profit must never come at the expense of justice and human dignity.