The Business of Locking People Up

Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast · Nov 4, 2026 · 40m

Immigration detention is becoming a booming business, and taxpayers are footing the bill. From a nearly half-billion-dollar prison purchase in Minnesota to billions spent expanding detention capacity, private corporations are collecting enormous sums of public money. But are these investments necessary, financially responsible, and subject to meaningful oversight? We examine government contracting failures, political contributions, conditions inside detention facilities, and the financial incentives that may conflict with effective immigration enforcement. And we ask a fundamental question…