A protest against Private Prison company GEO Group led to the arrest of several members of JewsAgainstICE. Yet it only amplified the activists’ message: GEO’s mass detention efforts need to stop. GEO Group is the largest contractor to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, providing approximately 40% of the secure beds for ICE, according to GEO’s reports. For Donald Trump‘s second term, GEO Group is preparing to scale up from “13,500 beds to over 31,000 beds” and otherwise expand operations, according to Executive Chairman George Zoley. The goal? To create a network of private prisons large enough to detain “millions of individuals” if need be. The dissenting voices are loud and many.
GEO Group Praises Trump’s Detention Camp Plans
Many U.S. citizens were steeling themselves for ICE raids before Trump’s second term in office even began. Now GEO Group stocks have soared in expectation of the mass arrests Trump promised. Discussing the JewsAgainstICE protests in a thread on X, anti-deportation organization Never Again Action summarized its position against GEO Group:
We’re here today because everyone should know that companies like GEO Group make their profit from ICE concentration camps, and they do it from buildings in our own backyards. We don’t have to let them.
GEO Group executives haven’t been shy about what they’re doing. During the company’s third-quarter earnings call for 2024, C-suite execs including CEO Brian R. Evans seemed excited by the chance to profit off of mass arrests and deportations. HuffPost‘s Matt Shuham played a portion of the recording in a TikTok, garnering over 122.8k likes, and commenters weren’t shy about sharing their feelings either. “And the CEOs on the call were… ✍️” said one commenter, alluding to the recent shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. “All they see is $$$$$$,” said another.
As if GEO Group weren’t drawing enough scrutiny, the National Labor Relations Board has accused the company of retaliating against immigrant detainees. Those who protested working conditions within a California facility were reportedly punished, revoking their privileges and even placing some in solitary confinement. While the prison and detention industry continues to expand under Trump, it’s apparent that the dream of a private prison paradise will be a nightmare for others.
