The Immigration-Industrial Complex: Blurring the lines of private enterprise and public interest By Douglas Epps, MSW (2015) “Those people coming across the border and getting caught are going to have to be detained and that for me, at least I think, there's going to be enhanced opportunities for what we do.” Wayne Calabrese, Former President and COO of the private prison conglomerate The Geo Group Inc. He made $6.5 million in 2010

Background

Do you know what’s in your community? 4 th largest immigration detention center in the country Over 1500 bed capacity

Immigration-industrial complex Part of the prison-industrial complex Convergence of interests fueled by dollars Creates a conflict of interests

Human commodities The more bodies behind bars, the more revenue gained Competitive contracts

The big 2 Largest PPC $1.7 billion FY ,000 beds 2 nd largest $1.5 billion FY ,716 beds

Cutting costs…at what cost? Should the well being of immigrants be at the liberty of profit driven shareholders or public entities?

Profit margins vs Human dignity Chronic understaffing, High turnover rates More violence than public institutions Abuse and rights violations Sub-par medical care No access to programs or education

Profit margins vs Human dignity Chronic understaffing, High turnover rates More violence than public institutions Abuse and rights violations Sub-par medical care No access to programs or education

Lack of accountability Tax payer money without tax payer scrutiny Freedom of Information Act does not apply Contractor immunities CCA and Geo have a long track record of abuses

Blurring the lines Is there room for ethics in private enterprise? Should private prison companies be allowed to lobby for strict immigration policy that criminalizes immigrants and coincidentally increases profits?

A lucrative opportunity…

Legislative influence

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ALEC CCA had representatives assisting ALEC with development of “model” for Arizona’s SB 1070 o Legislation signed into law almost word-for-word ALEC’s model bill A clear blurring of ethical boundaries

Notorious for infringing upon constitutional rights and encouraging racial profiling. Allows law enforcement to stop and ask for proof of citizenship with probable cause Who looks like an “illegal”?

Public impact Since 2005 – government taken “hardline” approach Immigration criminalized not just socially but literally Example – Operation Streamline

Operation Streamline

In the shadows of coincidence Correlation: Peaks in corporate lobbying with some of the most criminalizing and restrictive immigration policies to date

Awareness is a good start Not about anti-capitalism but pro-human rights Private prison/detention corporations are sacrificing the integrity of America for the opportunity to profit off of human suffering

Time’s Up! About the presenter: Douglas Epps Master of Social Work Quick bio: A former detention officer at Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center, Doug is now an aspiring social worker, immigrant ally and researcher. Look for his two new books: The Immigrant ‘Other’- Lived experiences in a transnational world (Columbia University Press) and Detaining the Immigrant ‘Other’- Global and transnational issues (Oxford University Press). Arriving early 2016.