Immigration Detention Becomes Booming Business for Private Prison Giants

Immigration detention in the United States is surging to record levels, and private prison giants now dominate the system, with about 90% of people in custody held in privately run facilities. Companies including CoreCivic, GEO Group, LaSalle Corrections, and Management & Training Corporation operate the largest centers under multi‑billion‑dollar deals with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shaping daily life for tens of thousands of migrants.

As of early 2025, ICE reports an average daily population near 46,000, with total detained individuals around 59,000 nationwide. Detention levels climbed past 37,000 by the end of FY 2024 and approached 40,000 by January 12, 2025. Private operators manage roughly 86% of detainees inside ICE facilities, a share industry leaders aim to expand further this year.

Major facilities and operator footprints

Examples of large sites anchoring the nationwide network:

• CoreCivic
  • Adams County Detention Center — averaging 2,135 detainees
  • Otay Mesa Detention Center — averaging 1,377 detainees
• GEO Group
  • South Texas ICE Processing Center — averaging 1,686 detainees
  • Montgomery ICE Processing Center — averaging 1,236 detainees

These large facilities have grown alongside stepped‑up enforcement priorities and long‑term contracts.

Federal funding, contracts, and expansion plans

Congressional Republicans have backed a sweeping expansion plan, approving $45 billion to build new immigrant detention centers, including family facilities. That funding signals a durable commitment to more capacity even as border flows and court backlogs fluctuate. Analysis by VisaVerge.com finds the budget aligns with rising contract announcements and reopenings at multiple locations.

Recent contract and capacity developments:

1. In early 2025, ICE awarded GEO Group a $1 billion, 15‑year contract to operate Newark’s Delaney Hall, slated to become the largest ICE processing and detention hub on the East Coast.
2. CoreCivic modified agreements in February to add nearly 1,000 beds across Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
3. Both firms have told investors they plan to triple detention bed capacity within months; CoreCivic projects as much as $1.5 billion in added revenue if those beds fill.

Several shuttered sites are reopening to meet demand. Delaney Hall is one example, and family detention centers in Texas—Dilley and Karnes—are being readied after years of reduced use. Private contractors can scale faster than many county‑run jails today.

Important: For official policy documents and contract overviews, see the ICE website: https://www.ice.gov

Politics, administrations, and enforcement trends

• President Biden previously pledged to reduce federal reliance on for‑profit incarceration, but those promises did not explicitly cover immigration detention.
  • In 2023, the administration opposed closing some private facilities and sided with CoreCivic in litigation over the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in New Jersey, which has since doubled its population.
• President Trump, re‑elected in 2024, has pressed for tougher enforcement and more detention—moves that closely track private industry growth plans.

ICE is also leaning on electronic monitoring as beds fill. Through BI Inc., a GEO Group subsidiary, the agency tracks about 183,000 people, with plans to expand GPS programs when capacity maxes out. Monitoring now functions as a pressure valve, allowing ICE to supervise people while new construction and contract expansions come online.

Human impact and conditions

• Nearly 47% of detained immigrants have no criminal record.
• Less than 30% have minor offenses.

These figures suggest detention often extends beyond public safety cases, sweeping in asylum seekers, long‑term residents with U.S. families, and people awaiting court hearings. Advocacy groups argue that this broad use of custody harms families and slows access to legal help.

Private facilities have drawn repeated complaints about poor conditions, understaffing, and abuse. Notable incidents and ongoing concerns include:

• The 2017 hunger strike at GEO’s Adelanto Detention Center and subsequent reports of mistreatment continue to influence the debate over profit‑motivated care.
• Industry leaders dispute allegations and point to audits and inspections; however, inspection systems have faced criticism for gaps and delays.

For many detainees, the most immediate harms are practical:

• Prolonged custody separating parents from children
• Interrupted medical treatment
• Blocked access to work or school
• Difficulty gathering evidence or locating witnesses due to transfers and distance

Transfers between distant facilities—often occurring when beds open at the last minute—can reset these hurdles.

Policy tradeoffs and alternatives

The business model’s durability rests on both policy and politics.

• Supporters argue detention:
  • Ensures court attendance
  • Speeds removals
• Critics say alternatives—such as case management and targeted monitoring—can:
  • Cost less
  • Protect due process
  • Avoid jailing people who pose no risk

With $45 billion earmarked for new centers, the federal government appears to be signaling where it expects the system to head in the near term.

State and local dynamics

State and local governments remain a wildcard:

• Some jurisdictions have tried to block private contracts, sparking lawsuits.
• In New Jersey, a state law barring new ICE deals faced a challenge from GEO Group after federal officials moved to expand detention on the East Coast.
• Companies are shifting beds across states that remain open to long‑term contracts as courts sort out these conflicts.

Historical trajectory and near‑term outlook

The U.S. system has expanded steadily since the 1980s, with private firms taking a larger share in the 2000s. Promises to unwind that shift have not changed the basic structure.

• As of mid‑2025, no major policy move has emerged to push ICE back toward publicly run facilities at scale.
• Instead, more capacity—both in beds and electronic tracking—appears likely over the next year.

Practical steps for families and advocates

For families and employers, practical steps are basic but urgent:

• Keep identity documents, legal papers, and attorney contacts in one place.
• If a loved one is detained:
  1. Note the facility name and phone number immediately.
  2. Request their A‑Number to help a lawyer locate the case.
  3. Document any medical needs in writing and ask facility staff for copies of requests and responses.

Advocates recommend building community networks and legal clinics, especially where new sites are opening. Close tracking of new agreements can provide early warning of bed shifts that move people hundreds of miles from support systems.

Key takeaway: For now, the center of gravity in immigration detention sits with private companies—chief among them CoreCivic and GEO Group—and with the budgets and policies that fund them. Whether courts, Congress, or future administrations change course, tens of thousands of people will pass through these facilities this year, within a system where business decisions and human lives are tightly bound.