Private prison companies were expecting the budget bill to be a boon for business. They weren’t disappointed.
Republican lawmakers allocated an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security, including $45 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expand immigration detention centers over four years. That’s more than the combined funds spent by the Obama, Biden and first Trump administrations, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The industry is clearly one of the big winners from President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy law, and no private prison is better positioned to take advantage of the influx of funding than the two biggest contractors, GEO Group and CoreCivic. Individuals and PACs affiliated with those companies also invested millions during the 2024 election cycle in Republican candidates and committees and Trump’s inauguration, and the companies are poised to reap an impressive return on investment.