Who's pocketing the millions that detained immigrants are costing the taxpayers?
When Justice Becomes a Business, Who Pays the Price?
This week, a federal court ruling sent a chill through immigrant communities and human rights advocates alike: ICE can now deny detained immigrants the right to bail, forcing them to remain in detention indefinitely while their cases crawl through an overwhelmed and under-resourced immigration court system.
Let that sink in.
A person fleeing violence or persecution — perhaps with no criminal record, simply seeking asylum — can now be legally held for months or even years with no option to post bond and no certainty of release. The reason? Because a court said so.
But here’s the part that will make your stomach turn:
🔒 Private, for-profit detention centers are earning up to $120,000 per year per detainee.
That’s right — $10,000 per month for each human being trapped in a cage. Many of these facilities are run by corporations with lobbyists in Washington. Their profits balloon every time someone is denied bail.
This Isn’t About Safety. It’s About Money.
This ruling doesn’t make our communities safer — it simply fattens the bottom line of detention conglomerates like GEO Group and CoreCivic, who are turning mass human suffering into Wall Street dividends.
Families are being separated. Children are growing up without parents. And the people profiting most are those who have a financial incentive to keep these cells full.
What Can You Do?
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📞 Call your representatives. Demand that Congress end for-profit immigration detention and restore basic due process rights.
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📢 Spread awareness. Share stories from detainees, journalists, and advocates on your social media. Silence is complicity.
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💰 Follow the money. Boycott companies that invest in or profit from detention centers.
This is not the America we claim to be.
This ruling exposes a dark truth: the machinery of injustice in this country runs on profit, not principle. But it also reminds us why platforms like Free to Rise exist — to shine a light, raise a voice, and offer tools for resistance.
Because the only thing more dangerous than injustice... is apathy.
🗣️ Tell us your thoughts in the comments. How should we fight back? What resources do you need?
Together, we rise — and we refuse to look away.