Damon Hiningerzzzy8pg, the chief executive of CoreCivic, which operates private prisons and immigrant detention centers, opened an investor call last month on a buoyant note.

“I’ve worked at CoreCivic for 32 years, and this is truly one of the most exciting periods in my career,” he said, adding that the company was anticipating in the next several years “perhaps the most significant growth in our company’s history.”

CoreCivic, GEO Group and some smaller private prison companies are becoming a key cog in the Trump administration’s plan to hold and then deport vast numbers of undocumented immigrants. Already in the past week, CoreCivic and GEO have announced new contracts and executives say they are expecting more.

Most immigrant detention beds are in facilities run by private operators

GEO Group

CoreCivic

Other private

Public

Avg. daily pop.

Wash.

200

brtpg0

2,000

Maine

Mont.

N.D.

Minn.

N.H.

Ore.

Wis.

Idaho

S.D.

And trying to hold the city together has been Mayor Rob Rue, who took office not even a year ago, taking on a part-time post that has been anything but that over the last several days.

Mass.

N.Y.

Mich.

Wyo.

R.I.

Iowa

Pa.

Neb.

N.J.

Nev.

Ohio

Ind.

Ill.

Utah

Va.

W. Va.

Calif.

Colo.

Kan.

Mo.

Ky.

N.C.

Tenn.

Ariz.

Okla.

Ark.

S.C.

N.M.

Miss.

Ga.

Ala.

Texas

Alaska

La.

Fla.

P.R.

Hawaii

GEO Group

CoreCivic

Other private

Public

Avg. daily pop.

Wash.

200

2,000

Maine

Mont.

N.D.

Minn.

N.H.

Ore.

Wis.

Idaho

S.D.

Mass.

N.Y.

Mich.

Wyo.

R.I.

Iowa

Pa.

Neb.

N.J.

Nev.

Ohio

Ind.

Ill.

Utah

Va.

W. Va.

Calif.

Colo.

Kan.

Mo.

Ky.

N.C.

Tenn.

Ariz.

Okla.

Ark.

S.C.

N.M.

Miss.

Ga.

Ala.

Texas

Alaska

La.

Fla.

P.R.

Hawaii

GEO Group

CoreCivic

Other private

Public

Avg. daily population

200

2,000

Wash.

Maine

Mont.

N.D.

Minn.

N.H.

Ore.

Idaho

Wis.

S.D.

N.Y.

Mass.

Mich.

Wyo.

R.I.

Pa.

Iowa

Neb.

N.J.

Nev.

Ohio

Ind.

Ill.

Utah

Calif.

W.Va.

Va.

Colo.

Kan.

Mo.

Ky.

N.C.

Okla.

Tenn.

Ariz.

S.C.

Ark.

N.M.

Ga.

Ala.

Miss.

Texas

Alaska

La.

Fla.

P.R.

Hawaii

GEO Group

CoreCivic

Other private

Public

Average daily population

Wash.

200

2,000

Maine

Mont.

N.D.

Minn.

Vt.

Ore.

N.H.

Idaho

Wis.

S.D.

N.Y.

Mass.

Conn.

9x999 slots

Mich.

Wyo.

R.I.

Iowa

Pa.

N.J.

Neb.

Nev.

Ohio

Md.

Ind.

Del.

Ill.

Utah

Calif.

W.Va.

Va.

Colo.

Kan.

Mo.

Ky.

N.C.

Tenn.

Ariz.

Okla.

Ark.

S.C.

N.M.

Ga.

Ala.

Miss.

Texas

Alaska

La.

Fla.

P.R.

Hawaii

Note: Only facilities with an average daily detainee population greater than five in fiscal year 2025 are shown. Locations are approximate. Data is as of Feb. 23.

Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

\n\n",mediaComponent:"Graphic"},hed:"Most immigrant detention beds are in facilities run by private operators",leadin:"",caption:"",altText:"A map showing the location of immigrant detention facilities, colored by the company that operates the facility and sized by the current immigrant population. The largest facilities are run by private companies and are located primarily along the southwest border.",label:"",source:"",note:"Note: Only facilities with an average daily detainee population greater than five in fiscal year 2025 are shown. Locations are approximate. Data is as of Feb. 23.",credit:"Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement",textAlign:"center",maxWidth:"945",marginInline:false,marginBlock:true}}],theme:"news",sheets:{}},"uses":{"url":1}}], form: null, error: null, params: {}, route: {"id":"/facilitiesmap"} }); }); }

Predictions for such a stratospheric trajectory in revenue for these companies did not look to be in the cards just four years ago.

Public sentiment had turned against its industry, amid accusations of safety and health violations and the stigma of profiting from the incarceration of immigrants. Big banks, responding to pressure campaigns from activists, had announced they were going to stop issuing new loans to the companies. The newly elected president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., had vowed on the campaign trail to end contracts with the companies.

Immigrant detention population has surpassed congressional funding for beds

50,000

40,000

Funded detention beds

30,000

20,000

Total detainee population

10,000

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

50,000

40,000

Funded detention beds

30,000

20,000

Total detainee population

10,000

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Note: Data is as of Feb. 23.

Sources: Department of Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse

\n\n",mediaComponent:"Graphic"},hed:"Immigrant detention population has surpassed congressional funding for beds",leadin:"",caption:"",altText:"A chart showing the total immigrant detention population since 2019 as compared with the total number of detention beds funded by Congress. The detainee population recently surpassed the number of funded beds.",label:"",source:"",note:"Note: Data is as of Feb. 23.",credit:"Sources: Department of Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse",textAlign:"left",maxWidth:"body",marginInline:true,marginBlock:true}}],theme:"news",sheets:{}},"uses":{"url":1}}], form: null, error: null, params: {}, route: {"id":"/fundedbeds"} }); }); } Private operators are ready to double immigrant detention capacity

Average daily detainee population at facilities owned or operated by each group

Current detention beds in use

14,000

GEO Group

10,000

CoreCivic

12,000

Other private

4,000 Public

Expansion beds proposed

45,000

GEO Group

and CoreCivic

Each square represents 100 detainees

Current detention beds in use

14,000

GEO Group

10,000

CoreCivic

12,000

Other private

4,000 Public

Expansion beds proposed

45,000

GEO Group

and CoreCivic

Each square represents 100 detainees

Current detention beds in use

Expansion beds proposed

14,000

GEO Group

10,000

CoreCivic

12,000

Other private

4,000

Public

45,000

GEO Group and CoreCivic

Each square represents 100 detainees

Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Note: Average daily detainee populations at each facility are for fiscal year 2025 and have been rounded. Data is as of Feb. 23.

\n\n",mediaComponent:"Graphic"},hed:"Private operators are ready to double immigrant detention capacity",leadin:"Average daily detainee population at facilities owned or operated by each group",caption:"",altText:"A chart showing the number of immigrant detention beds currently in use by each operator: 14,000 for GEO Group, 10,000 for CoreCivic, 12,000 for other private groups and 4,000 for public facilities. It shows that 45,000 additional beds have been proposed by GEO Group and CoreCivic.",label:"",source:"Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement",note:"Note: Average daily detainee populations at each facility are for fiscal year 2025 and have been rounded. Data is as of Feb. 23.",credit:"",textAlign:"left",maxWidth:"body",marginInline:true,marginBlock:true}}],theme:"news",sheets:{}},"uses":{"url":1}}], form: null, error: null, params: {}, route: {"id":"/currentbeds"} }); }); } Revenue from ICE has been steady for private detention operators

GEO Group

Annual revenue

Share of revenue from ICE

$2

billion

$1

billion

2016

’18

’20

’22

’24

CoreCivic

Annual revenue

Share of revenue from ICE

$2

billion

$1

billion

2016

’18

’20

’22

’24

GEO Group

CoreCivic

Annual revenue

Annual revenue

Share of revenue from ICE

Share of revenue from ICE

$2

billion

$1

billion

2016

’18

’20

’22

’24

2016

’18

’20

’22

’24

Source: GEO Group; CoreCivic

\n\n",mediaComponent:"Graphic"},hed:"Revenue from ICE has been steady for private detention operators",leadin:"",caption:"",altText:"A chart showing that since 2016, annual revenue has been above $2 billion each year for GEO Group, and nearly that for CoreCivic. The share from ICE was about 30 percent annually for CoreCivic, and for GEO Group, the share has increased from about 30 percent annually to almost 45 percent.",label:"",source:"",note:"",credit:"Source: GEO Group; CoreCivic",textAlign:"left",maxWidth:"body",marginInline:true,marginBlock:true}}],theme:"news",sheets:{}},"uses":{"url":1}}], form: null, error: null, params: {}, route: {"id":"/revenue"} }); }); }

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