Private Prison Giants Funnel Millions to Lawmakers Amid Soaring ICE Detentions

Private prison companies and their executives have donated millions of dollars to members of Congress and political committees, coinciding with a dramatic expansion of immigration detention. An investigation by The Appeal reveals that leading for-profit prison firms contributed approximately $500,000 to current Republican members of Congress and $57,000 to Democrats between 2021 and 2025. This financial support comes as the number of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reached record highs, with the majority held in private facilities.

The analysis, which reviewed records from OpenSecrets and the Federal Election Commission, highlights significant contributions from CoreCivic, GEO Group, and Management & Training Corporation (MTC). Democratic Representatives Sanford Bishop (Georgia) and Henry Cuellar (Texas) each received $21,000, more than any other sitting member of Congress, with facilities operated by CoreCivic and GEO Group located in Cuellar’s district. Executives from these companies, including former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger and GEO Group executive chairman George Zoley, also made political contributions totaling over a million dollars each during the same period.

These financial investments appear to align with legislative outcomes, as Congress has passed measures to significantly increase funding for ICE and expand immigration detention under the Trump administration. CoreCivic and GEO Group anticipate generating over one billion dollars in revenue each from their ICE contracts in 2025. Executives have openly expressed enthusiasm for these developments, even as ICE operations continue to impact numerous lives across the country.