Democrats are calling for ICE to cut ties with a private, profit-making company that runs two migrant detention centers at the centre of serious abuse allegations.
The calls follow Newsweek reports on allegations of abuse at migrant detention centers in California.
Eight members of Congress sent ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a letter on October 8 calling for the Golden State Annex and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Kern County to terminate contracts with GEO Group.
Democrats are urging the DHS to end contracts with these facilities due to "disturbing" claims of abuse of detainees. Lawmakers want the detainees to be released rather than transferred.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said: "The continuing reports of substandard behavior, including abusive behavior towards detainees, is troublesome, and I will add that they (GEO Group) are making a small fortune off the taxpayers while doing this."
Lofgren, who represents California's 18th district, called on DHS to do a "top-to-bottom" review of facilities in an exclusive interview with Newsweek.
An excerpt of the letter reads: "We reiterate our call for DHS to end contracts with GEO for Mesa Verde and Golden State, given that the ongoing allegations brought forward in our September 14, 2022, letter and our May 4, 2023, letter have been affirmed in multiple federal and state reports, and in the interest of the safety of individuals who are subjected to such conditions.
"We also once again ask that detainees are not merely transferred to another facility away from their support networks, legal representation, and families, but are instead released on alternatives to detention and case management."
When approached for comment, the GEO Group pointed Newsweek to ICE.
A spokesperson for ICE said: "ICE uses its limited detention resources to detain noncitizens who are considered a public safety or national security threat as they await their immigration proceedings and/or to carry out final orders of removal from the United States.
"In some cases, the closure of a facility today would require individuals to be detained at a greater distance from their attorneys of record, family, friends, and community support, who would be obligated to travel greater distances to visit individuals in ICE custody."
The Context
A series of hunger strikes have occurred at ICE-run detention centers. In July, 59 detainees initiated labor strikes at the Golden State Annex and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center.
Later, 42 detainees at the Golden State Annex began a hunger strike, which lasted 12 days before ending on July 23rd after alleged threats of transfer to Texas by guards.
Strikes resumed in August, with 62 people participating in hunger strikes across both facilities, and both the hunger and labor strikes are ongoing with fluctuating participation.
Around 80 detainees at both detention centers launched a joint hunger strike on September 22-23.
At Desert View, strikers claim they faced harsh retaliation, including solitary confinement, phone access cuts, and lockdowns during a rally outside the facility. Their strike lasted nearly a week, ending on September 28.
At Golden State Annex, the strike continued until October 2, lasting 10 days. On October 8, 84 detainees in Golden State Annex's B1 dorm started a new hunger strike, protesting recent inhumane conditions, such as being forced to sleep on the floor, lack of footwear, and maggots in their food.
Profit-making prisons
Lofgren said, "It doesn't have to be that expensive. And when it's not as expensive, it's going to be less abusive.
"I question whether there's room for the for-profit prisons in this," she said.
In 2023, GEO Group generated revenues of $2.41 billion and earned $113.8 million in profits.
The California progressive criticized the use of high-level security in facilities often contracted to private companies and said it is an inefficient allocation of resources.
"For people who are not violent or a flight risk. Having a very high level of security is an expensive waste," she said.
"They're very high-level security, which is expensive for a population that is not high-risk for the most part.
"The level of security does relate to how expensive it is, and for people who are not violent or a flight risk, having very high-level security is an expensive waste," she added.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, in fiscal year 2025, the budget includes $2.0B in funds to sustain 34,000 ICE immigration detention beds.
Lofgren argues that the profit-driven nature of these facilities leads to a focus on cutting costs at the expense of humane treatment, while high-security measures are maintained to justify increased expenses.
A more tailored approach would not only save taxpayer money but also ensure that non-violent detainees are not subjected to unnecessarily harsh conditions.
Lofgren, who has served as the U.S. Representative for California since 1995, said high-risk detainees should be kept in detention centers run by ICE.
Immigration Reform
The Democratic Congresswoman called for comprehensive immigration reforms and warned that if ICE terminates contracts with for-profit prisons, it must have a plan in place to ensure the humane treatment of all individuals in custody.
"The entire immigration legal system needs reform. All the money from the asylum system is not functioning as intended. That needs to be reformed, as does the whole rest of the system, including the detention facilities."
"If the government doesn't execute the contract, for-profit prisons will go out of business.
Lofgren said if ICE goes ahead and terminates the contracts, the agency needs to plan.
"When you have people in custody, whether it's civil detainees, in immigration, you have obligations when you control somebody's life not to abuse that.
She said that high-risk inmates should be detained by non-profit making organizations in a cost-effective manner.
Mass Deportations
Immigration is a major concern for voters in this November's U.S. election, with polls indicating that former President Donald Trump is more trusted on the issue than Vice President Kamala Harris.
In an Economist/YouGov poll conducted in August, the former president led Harris by 51 points among adults who said immigration was "very important" to them—with 83 percent saying they planned to back Trump compared to 32 percent who said they support Harris.
Harris pledged to revive the failed bipartisan border security bill that was killed by the GOP after Trump's political machinations.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump's Campaign National Press Secretary, said in a statement that "President Trump will begin the largest mass deportation in history on day one."
Trump has repeatedly promised to launch "the largest deportation in the history of our country" throughout the presidential campaign.
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