Corporations Cash In On Illegal Immigration

GEO GROUP, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST FOR-PROFIT PRISON
CORPORATIONS, HAS TO SECURED A FEDERAL CONTRACT IN THE AMOUNT
OF $110 MILLION TO BUILD A NEW FACILITY SPECIFICALLY MEANT
TO DETAIN UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.
ACCORDING TO THE TALKING POINTS MEMO, THE GEO GROUP SAID IT IS
1000 BED DETENTION FACILITY WILL BE IN CONROE, HOUSTON, AND
WILL OPEN BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
GEO ALREADY OPERATES THE 1500 BED JOE CORLEY IMMIGRANT
DETENTION CENTER IN THE SAME SMALL TOWN, SO IT'S A LITTLE
STRANGE THAT THEY NEED ANOTHER FOR-PROFIT PRISON TO DETAIN
FOR-PROFIT PRISONERS IN THE AREA.
BUT YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN COVERING FOR-PROFIT PRISONS, AND
HOW DISASTROUS THEY HAVE BEEN, HOW THEY DO NOT CUT COSTS, HOW
THEY ARE NOT REALLY PRIVATE PRISONS ñ THEY ARE PRIVATELY
RUN, BUT THEY HAVE INVESTORS, AND THEY WANT TO MAKE A PROFIT.
THE WHOLE POINT IS TO DETAIN ñ TO DETAIN AS MANY PEOPLE AS
POSSIBLE SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE.
SO, IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS USING UP
OUR RESOURCES, WELL, THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW DETAINING
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS ACTUALLY MAKES YOU, THE TAXPAYER,
SPEND YOUR MONEY ON SOMETHING WE SHOULDN'T BE SPENDING MONEY
SOUND ñ BE SPENDING MONEY ON.
WELL, IT'S NOT JUST TEXAS, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON IN ARIZONA.
I HAVE FAMILY THAT ACTUALLY WORKED IN A MEDICAL FACILITY
THAT IS PRIVATELY RUN AND OPERATED, AND ICE KIND OF
OVERSEAS IT, SO WE HAVE ALL THESE CONTRACTS WITH ICE, THAT
SORT OF FACILITATE THE HOUSING AND WAREHOUSING OF DILIGENCE, SO
IF YOU INSIST: CLOSE CATCH AND RELEASE PROGRAM, IF WE ARE
BASICALLY FOR THE WAREHOUSE PEOPLE TO GET THEIR PAPERWORK IN
ORDER, UNTIL WE SHIP THEM OUT, WE ARE ESSENTIALLY STARTING
ANOTHER INDUSTRY OF, ESSENTIALLY WAREHOUSING PEOPLE WHO ARE
IN VIOLATION OF THE ROCK ñ OF THE LAW.
IT'S VERY COSTLY.
IT LEADS TO A GIGANTIC PROFIT MOTIVE IN CRIMINALIZING
PEOPLE WHO ARE SUDDENLY COMING HERE LOOKING FOR A BETTER LIFE.
AND LOOK, I UNDERSTAND, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE A SYSTEM
WHERE WE JUST LET ANYONE IN AN OPEN OUR BORDERS, NO ONE IS
ASKING FOR THAT, BUT YOU WANT COMMONSENSE LEGISLATION,
AND COMMONSENSE REGULATIONS TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE, AND
WE ARE DOING THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THAT RIGHT NOW.
IT IS THE WAY THAT THESE DETENTION CENTERS ARE
MODELED AFTER OUR CURRENT JUSTICE SYSTEM MODELS.
OUTSIDE OF THE DETENTION CENTERS THERE ARE BOND PROGRAMS, OR
OTHER FORMS OF SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS THAT LOOK A LOT LIKE HOW
WE DEAL WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE, WHICH IS ALSO PRIVATIZED.
SO I THINK WHEN WE EXAMINE THIS, WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT SOME
OF THE RACIAL STRUCTURES, THE ECONOMIC IMPERATIVES AND ASK,
WHY ARE THESE POLICIES FORMING IN THE WAY THAT THEY ARE?
EXACTLY, AND SO, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE ñ AT THE TAIL END
OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, OBAMA HAD MADE THE DECISION
TO STOP USING FOR-PROFIT PRISONS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
OF COURSE TRUMP CAME IN AND COMPLETELY DID AWAY WITH THAT,
AND THE STOCK PRICES FOR THESE FEDERAL PORK ñ FEDERAL
FOR-PROFIT PRISONS SHOT UP, AND I'M SURE THAT THE STOCK
PRICE FOR THE GEO GROUP IS WHAT SHOWED UP AGAIN.
YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE THIS SORT OF PROFIT MOTIVE STRUCTURED INTO
OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM, BUT WE DO, AND I WAS HOPING THAT THIS
SYSTEM WILL GET BETTER AFTER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, BUT
OF COURSE IT'S NOT.
YOU HAVE DONALD TRUMP, WHO IS A PRODUCT OF A CORRUPT
POLITICAL SYSTEM, HE'S EXPLOITED THAT POLITICAL SYSTEM, WHAT
MAKES ANYONE THINK THAT HE WOULDN'T DO ANY ñ
THAT HE WOULD NOT DO FAVORS FOR GROUPS LIKE GEO GROUP?
US IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT ALREADY HAS A RECORD
OF MORE THAN 41,000 DETAINEES, THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO
INCREASE, AND ALSO THE AGENCY HAS IDENTIFIED AN ADDITIONAL
21,000 UNUSED BEDS THAT IT PLANS TO USE FOR DETENTION.
UNDERSTAND THAT.
THESE FOR-PROFIT PRISONS USUALLY HAVE CONTRACTS THAT
INDICATE THAT THE GOVERNMENT, WHETHER IT'S ON A STATE OR
FEDERAL LEVEL, NEEDS TO PROVIDE A MINIMUM OCCUPANCY RATE.
SO, LET'S SAY THAT THESE BEDS ARE NOT BEING USED, OUR TAXPAYER
MONEY STILL HAS TO PAY FOR THE BEDS AS IF THERE ARE INMATES
THERE, AND IT CREATES AN INCENTIVE WHERE IF THERE
ARE UNUSED BEDS, WELL WE JUST NEED TO DETAIN MORE PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE.
ALSO, TRUMP HAS INSTRUCTED ICE TO DETAIN ALL ñ-
AS SOON AS YOU COME INTO THIS COUNTRY AND YOU ARE
UNDOCUMENTED, YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW IN DONALD TRUMP'S BOOK,
AND YOU COULD BE PUT IN ONE OF THESE DETENTION CENTERS.
IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WILL BE FILLING UP, AND THEY WILL
BE BUILDING MORE OF THESE FACILITIES.
THAT'S RIGHT.
AND CONDITIONS WILL PROBABLY DECLINE AS POPULATIONS RISE
IN...
RIGHT, BECAUSE IF IT'S RUN LIKE A BUSINESS THEY WANT TO CUT
COSTS AND MAXIMIZE PROFITS.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF REPORTS REGARDING FOR-PROFIT
PRISONS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS JUST HEINOUS BEHAVIOR.
INHUMANE TREATMENT OF THE INMATES, NOT PROVIDING THE
NECESSARY MEDICAL CARE, AND SO, THAT'S UNSURPRISING WHEN YOU RUN
A PRISON LIKE A BUSINESS.
SO, THIS IS NOT A GOOD
SITUATION, AND I APOLOGIZE THAT WE ARE OPENING THE SECOND HOUR
WITH SUCH A DEPRESSING STORY, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY
DEVASTATING OUTCOMES OF TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY, AND HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO WORKS AT A MEDICAL CENTER IN ARIZONA,
AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO DEATHS, AND THEY ALL GO OUT OF THEIR WAY
TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS MEDICAL CARE FOR EVERYONE WHO
NEEDS IT, AND THEY ARE SO CLOSELY MONITORED BY GROUPS THAT
COME THROUGH THESE FACILITIES DAILY, SOME OF THEM VERY HIGH
PROFILE, LIKE SOMETIMES JOHN LEGEND COMES THROUGH WITH A
GROUP, AND OTHER GROUPS, SO THERE'S A LOT OF ATTENTION TO
MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS CARED FOR AND FED, BUT AGAIN, IT'S THE
IDEA OF JUST LIKE STOCKPILING, OR WAREHOUSING FACILITIES TO
DETAIN ANYTHING WHILE WE DON'T ADDRESS REAL ISSUES, IT'S JUST
ANOTHER WAY OF, AS YOU SAY, PROFIT INDUCEMENT IS SORT OF
WINNING THE DAY, RATHER THAN REALLY CONFRONTING THE
CONVEXITY OF THE ISSUE.
ñ THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISSUE.
AND WE HAVE A CONGRESS THAT DOESN'T WANT TO CONFRONT IT.
NO, THEY DON'T WANT TO CONFRONT IT BECAUSE THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY
PAID BY THE SAME CORPORATIONS TO KEEP IT GOING, SO THIS IS THEIR
BREAD AND BUTTER, THEY ARE GOING TO CONTINUE DOING IT.
WE HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND WHY
MARIJUANA ON A FEDERAL LEVEL CONTINUES TO BE
CRIMINALIZED, IT STILL LISTED AS A SCHEDULE ONE DRUG AND PEOPLE
ARE LIKE, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, WHY IS THAT HAPPENING?
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO THE ELECTORATE, BUT IT
CERTAINLY MAKES THAT ñ MAKE SENSE OF THE POLITICIANS
THOUGHT IT MAKE SENSE TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOBBYING TO
CONTINUE PROHIBITION, BECAUSE THEY MAKE MONEY OFF OF IT.

Corporations Cash In On Illegal Immigration

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