by Taboola Sponsored Links .
If your child is addicted to TV/Smartphone, Take this Quiz!
Flintobox
Although Trump on Wednesday ordered an end to the separations, deep confusion lingers over what this will mean on the ground. But in the meantime, the money keeps rolling in for those who benefit from the migrant influx.
More than two-thirds of the nearly 304,000 who entered from Mexico and were detained by border patrol agents in the fiscal year 2017 were in Texas, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Promoted: In Stores
Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity Tracker And Sleep Wristband Slate
₹ 4,899*
₹ 8,499
Buy
Includes ₹ 2,099 cashback*
Moto E4 16 GB (GREY)
₹ 5,838*
₹ 8,999
Buy
Includes ₹ 1,030 cashback*
Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro (2 GB RAM & 16GB ROM) (Gold)
₹ 7,490
₹ 8,800
Buy
Hitachi 1.5 Ton 5 Star (2018) Inverter Split AC (Copper KASHIKOI 5100x RSB518HBEA White)
₹ 45,470
₹ 59,990
Buy
Apple iPhone X 64 GB (Space Grey)
₹ 81,298*
₹ 92,430
Buy
Includes ₹ 9,000 cashback*
Nacson NS8016 Smart 80 cm (32) HD Ready LED Smart TV
₹ 13,590
₹ 21,990
Buy
Not surprisingly, then, Texas has the largest number of detention centers for immigrants.
The Houston detention center, built in 1983, was the first privately run prison in modern US history. Its owners, CoreCivic (formerly the Corrections Corporation of America), and the GEO Group are the two largest prison corporations in the country.
Both are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Advertisement
In all, CoreCivic operates four detention centers in Texas under contract to ICE.
GEO operates three, with a fourth under construction. Each of the two corporations owns or operates more than 120 prisons nationwide.
"We are very appreciative of the continued confidence placed in our company by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement," GEO president George Zoley said last year in a statement announcing a new federal contract worth $110 million.
Advertisement
According to the investigative center In The Public Interest (ITPI), privatizing the penal system creates an economic incentive to promote mass incarceration even for minor crimes, such as illegal entry.
The two corporations together "have spent more than $10 million on political candidates and have spent nearly $25 million on lobbying efforts since 1989," according to an ITPI report.
In 2017, GEO and CoreCivic had combined revenue of about $4 billion, according to the companies' annual reports.
Advertisement
Prisons for profit
"It's an industry that drives the lobby for increased sentences, increases in mandatory minimum sentences, harsher punishment -- because every day that they have somebody in a bed, you know, they're making money," immigration lawyer Jodi Goodwin, who works for the nonprofit Migrant Center for Human Rights, told AFP.
"It's a sick industry."
According to ICE, the daily average population of immigrants in detention centers in fiscal year 2017 was 30,539. This year, the number has already hit 50,379.
The current crisis has cast a harsh light on some of the private operators of shelters where children are sent after being separated from their parents or guardians by border authorities.
There are 31 shelters for children in Texas, according to the Texas Tribune. Of them, the most controversial are those of the Southwest Key Programs.
Its children's shelters are run under contract with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
"Casa Padre," a former Walmart store in the town of Brownsville housing some 1,400 migrants, is the largest of Southwest Key's facilities, some of which have been accused of violations by state inspectors.
Southwest Key will receive more than $458 million from the government this year, according to Bloomberg magazine.
But privately run prisons and shelters are not the only ones profiting from the business of illegal immigration.
Immigrants pay more
"This is an industry -- a rising industry," economist William Glade, a professor emeritus at the University of Texas, told AFP.
"Considering the nature of our court system, this is a full-employment act for lawyers, and you can bet that they will cash in on the opportunity -- and find ways to keep it going for a long time to come."
It is also a "good opportunity" for others, he said.
Migration is at the epicenter of the local economies of parched and dusty Texas cities like McAllen, Hidalgo, El Paso, Laredo and Tornillo, along the inhospitable border with Mexico.
Private firms of immigration lawyers and seedy lending operations that require "only a signature" share the streets with cowboy-boot stores and fortune tellers.
Downtown El Paso is dotted with bail bonds shops, which lend money to detainees unable to pay the bail set by a judge in order to be released while their cases are being processed.
In cases of common crimes, bail bondsmen charge defendants a commission of about 10 percent the value of the bail. But in immigration cases, prices shoot up.
Lachica Bail Bonds in El Paso charges 20 percent of the value of the bail to foreigners accused of illegal entry, plus an additional $500 processing fee.
Bail for most immigrants is set at $10,000 to $15,000, "although I have one right now for $25,000," an employee who asked not to be named told AFP.
Once immigrants are finally released, they must wear electronic ankle bracelets monitoring their location.
Those bracelets are sold to the authorities by BI Incorporated, part of the GEO Group.
Employees at its El Paso office refused to tell AFP how much the firm charges for them.
COMMENT
Enter email for our newsletter
Subscribe
Ways to Improve Your 2-11 Year Kid’s Brain Growth. Watch Video
FlintoBox
Sponsored Links
The Story of a Noble Chinese Hamlet
SHINE.cn
Sponsored Links
If You Think Cruises Are Too Expensive, You Should See These Options
Save On Luxury Cruises | Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Attention Punjab Car Owners: If You're Paying Too Much for Car Insurance, You Should See These Options
Car Insurance Quotes | Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Cab Driver Needs Help To Save His 1-year-old From Heart Failure
Milaap
Sponsored Links
Simple Method "Regrows" Hair.Try It Tonight.
Nutralyfe ReGain
Sponsored Links
Minimum Balance You Need To Maintain In Your Bank Account: SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank Penalty Charges Compared
SBI requires its customers holding a savings bank account with any of its metro branches to maintain a monthly average balance of Rs 3,000, to avoid penalty charges.
Recommended For You
Race 3 Box Office Collection Day 8: सलमान खान का जलवा बरकरार, पहले हफ्ते की कमाई 250 करोड़ के पार
हाथ में हाथ थामे दिखे प्रियंका चोपड़ा और निक जोनास, तस्वीरें हुईं वायरल
नेहा कक्कड़ की वजह से ट्रोल हुआ ये एक्टर, माफी मांगने पर हुईं मजबूर
जाह्नवी कपूर और ईशान हुए ट्रोल, मुंबई पुलिस ने कुछ यूं दिया करारा जवाब
Related
Donald Trump Says Immigration System Unfair To Those Waiting For Years
No Judicial Process For Illegal Immigrants, Deport Them: Donald Trump
6-Year-Old Was Separated From Her Deported Father. His Is A Tearful Tale
Deported Migrant Parents Grieve As Opposition In US Steps Up Pressure
US Government Reunites 522 Children Removed Under 'Zero Tolerance'
More Stories
Army Major Wanted To Marry Officer's Wife, Killed When She Refused: Cops
Forest Officers Find 100 Baby Cobras In Labourer's House In Odisha
"Honoured With Some Tweets": Sushma Swaraj Throws An Uppercut At Trolls
more top stories
Advertisement
You May Like
One Click & Check Your Credit Score for Free!
CreditMantri
Sponsored Links
CCTV Footage Led Cops To Class 10 Student In Vadodara School Murder
The Class 9 student found murdered in the washroom of a school in Vadodara was killed by a senior student who wanted the school to close down, the police said, in yet another chilling similarity to last year's murder of a seven-year-old at a school in Gurgaon, near Delhi. The police, who detained a
Recommended For You
Recurring Deposits (RD): These Three Banks Offer Interest Rates Up To 8.75%
Horrific Details Of Jharkhand Gang-Rape Emerge As 2 Men Arrested
Throat Slit, Run Over By Car; Army Major's Wife Found Murdered In Delhi
IIFA 2018: Rekha To Bobby Deol, Everything You Need To Know About The Blockbuster Performances
You May Like
If You've Never Been on a Luxury Cruise, You Should See These Options
Luxury Cruises | Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Quick links
Home
Latest
Live TV
News Beeps
Elections
Videos
Business
Offbeat
India
World News
Cities
South
Opinion
Indians Abroad
Photos
Doctor
Gadgets
Auto
Weather
© Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2018. All rights reserved.
हिंदी में पढ़ें
Home
Latest
Live TV
Videos
News Beeps
Cricket
Elections
Davos 2018
Offbeat
Opinion
India
World
Notifications
Gadgets
Auto
Movies
Business
Food
Lifestyle
Health
Photos
Cities
South
Indians Abroad
Sports
People
Weather
Trains
Art
Weddings
Search
What are you looking for?
Search
Trending News
Army Major Wanted To Marry Officer's Wife, Killed When She Refused: Cops
Forest Officers Find 100 Baby Cobras In Labourer's House In Odisha
Deepika Face-Palms On Ranveer's Throwback Pic And We Can Understand Why
"Honoured With Some Tweets": Sushma Swaraj Throws An Uppercut At Trolls
Mangeshkars Upset With KJo About K3G Song In Masturbation Scene: Reports
Body Of Argentina Fan Who Left Suicide Note At Home Found In Kerala River
Maharashtra Plastic Ban To Cost 3 Lakh Jobs, Loss Of 15,000 Crore: Report
Ranbir's Niece Looks Just Like 10-Year-Old Neetu Kapoor. Proof Inside
No Judicial Process For Illegal Immigrants, Deport Them: Donald Trump
World Cup 2018: Virat Kohli Dubs Cristiano Ronaldo 'Greatest Of All Time'
Dreamy Pics From Kit And Rose's Wedding. A Game Of Thrones Reunion
CT Hockey Highlights: Harmanpreet, Mandeep Score As India Beat Argentina
Several Loud Blasts Heard Over Riyad As Saudi Intercepts Missile
PM Modi Visits Delhi Hospital To Check On Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Health
Goods Train Derails In Chhattisgarh After Maoists Remove Railway Tracks
Supreme Court's New Roster In, 2 Days After Justice Chelameswar Retired
UP Wedding Party Ran Out Of Plates. Then 1 Killed, 4 Injured In Fight
Alia, Parineeti Partied With Priyanka Chopra. Was Nick Jonas There Too?
1 Dead As Fire Breaks Out At 3-Storey Building In South Mumbai
Priyanka And Nick Fly Out To Mystery Destination. See Airport Pics
more trending news
Trending Tags
Fifa World Cup
World Cup Schedule
World Cup 2018 Standings
Bengali
Tamil
Diabetes
HIV
Cancer
Market
Sensex
Download Steemia app from Google Play.
Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/in-texas-border-towns-illegal-immigration-is-big-business/article/525459