AOC’s dire warning about the mass deportation for-profit prison scam

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading the charge to stop Trump's for-profit prison mass deportation giveaway.

Harris, Donald Trump's mass deportation plans are cruel and inhumane. They're also a massive giveaway of taxpayer dollars to the private, for-profit prison industry. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sounded the alarm last week in a speech that instantly went viral online. Under Trump's immigration policies, "Private prison companies are going to get flooded with money," she warned. "Look at what members of Congress are invested in private prison companies."1 AOC is right, and we're mobilizing tens of thousands of people to contact Congress and stop the mass deportation giveaway to the private, for-profit prison industry. Will you donate to Demand Progress Action to help stop Trump's mass deportation private prison scam, and push for other key reforms? Donate $20 Donate $40 Donate $75 Or, donate another amount The new Republican-controlled House and Senate are already shoveling billions of dollars into the private, for-profit prison industry. For instance, the just-passed Laken Riley Act requires federal law enforcement to imprison and deport noncitizens, including Dreamers, who are accused — not convicted — of even petty crimes, like shoplifting.2 Implementation of the bill will cost a whopping $86 billion over the next three years, and much of that money will go directly to the private prison industry to lock up nonviolent noncitizens caught up in Trump's deportation dragnet.3 In fact, as you read this, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is asking Congress for $3.2 billion for their private prison friends.4 No wonder the stock prices for the two largest private detention contractors, the GeoGroup and CoreCivic, skyrocketed by 74 percent and 55 percent, respectively, after Trump won.5 And when AOC called out these massive handouts to the private prison industry, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene didn't deny it, saying "Well, I certainly hope we do open as many prisons as possible."6 This is not what the American people want. Polls show that large majorities across party lines oppose these cruel mass deportation plans.7 But instead, Republicans are spending billions on imprisoning and deporting people who pose no public safety risk, all without due process. That's why we're asking you today: Will you donate $20 to support our work, including stopping Trump's mass deportation private prison giveaway? With gratitude, The team at Demand Progress Action DONATE Sources: 1. Common Dreams, "'Corruption in Plain Sight': AOC Warns Laken Riley Act a Boon to Private Prison Industry," January 22, 2025. 2. American Immigration Council, "Misguided Laken Riley Act Does Nothing to Fix the Problems That Plague Our Immigration System," January 22, 2025. 3. The Hill, "The Laken Riley Act is a sweetheart deal for the private prison industry," January 17, 2025. 4. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)," December 2024. 5. Forbes, "Will Mass Deportation Be A Moneymaker For Private Prisons?," January 14, 2025. 6. RealClearPolitics, "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to AOC: I Hope We Open As Many New Prisons As Possible To Round Up Illegal Aliens," January 22, 2025. 7. Axios, "Americans favor deporting undocumented immigrants, until they're asked how," January 19, 2025. Contributions to ActBlue Civics and Demand Progress Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Instagram or Twitter. Receiving too many emails from Demand Progress? You can opt to pause emails from Demand Progress for a month. And of course you can unsubscribe from this list at any time.