Private prison firms sell ICE detention centers for hundreds of millions
The gist
Private detention companies Geo Group and CoreCivic are selling ICE facilities for hundreds of millions, often ones ICE already used.
The deals raise questions about federal waste as detention expands and rights groups document abuses.
How it unfolded
- Oct 2, 2025The Vera Institute reports more people are in immigration detention than ever before.
- Dec 4, 2025Amnesty International releases a report documenting cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment at the Everglades Detention Facility ("Alligator Alcatraz") and Krome North Service Processing Center in Florida.
- Dec 8, 2025The ACLU reports that a February ICE inspection of Fort Bliss documented more than 40 separate violations, and that the site had 60 violations of federal detention standards within its first 50 days.
Key terms
- ICE
- Federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security that enforces immigration and customs laws.
- DHS
- U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, including anti-terrorism, immigration, border control, and cybersecurity.
- ACLU
- A US nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920 that defends individual rights and freedoms through litigation, lobbying, and education.
Source: Wikipedia