A GEO Group guard is captured in action during a media tour at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Tacoma, Washington, in 2019. This scene highlights the growing tensions at detention centers like Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. Recent protests have been chaotic, with federal immigration officers using pepper spray and tear gas in response to activists’ and officials’ outcry over poor conditions faced by detainees.
Silky Shah, head of the nonprofit Detention Watch Network, is deeply troubled by the unseen realities within these facilities. Shah mentions alarming issues such as rotten food, medical neglect, and a lack of support for detainees. These problems are not unique to Delaney Hall but are reported in detention centers across the country.
DHS and private prison contractor GEO Group, in statements to NPR and WNYC, have denied allegations regarding Delaney Hall, dismissing them as a politically driven effort by external groups to dismantle ICE. However, detainees nationwide have initiated lawsuits over substandard conditions in these facilities. Approximately one-third of those in immigration detention are housed in facilities managed by GEO Group.
Interconnected Private and Federal Interests
This week, as former GEO Group executive David Venturella takes over as acting director of ICE, the ties between the company and the agency grow stronger. GEO Group operates state prisons, but half its revenue comes from ICE contracts. The company positions itself as a key player in President Trump’s deportation agenda, managing nearly two dozen detention centers and providing transportation and electronic monitoring services through a subsidiary.
Critics such as Lauren-Brooke Eisen from the Brennan Center for Justice criticize this public and private sector cooperation. She notes that this network profits from detaining undocumented immigrants. When Trump resumed office last year, companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic rapidly expanded detention capacities, even reopening long-unused prisons. In 2025, GEO Group’s profits surged to over $250 million, a 700% increase from the previous year.
Documented reports highlight the dire conditions at ICE detention centers. Legal experts caution that privatization may encourage cost-cutting, with private prisons introducing profit motives into their operations. Katherine Hawkins from the Project on Government Oversight stresses that private prisons can limit transparency and accountability.
GEO Group declined an interview but stated that its facilities comply with government standards, offering continuous medical care and other services. The company expressed pride in supporting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s mission for 40 years.
Lack of Transparency and Accountability
Lauren-Brooke Eisen points out that private companies are not bound by the same public records requirements as government entities, complicating accountability. Inquiries into deaths in detention often face obstacles, and the secrecy surrounding corporations managing these centers poses significant challenges.
GEO Group deflects accountability questions to ICE, and recently, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin hesitated to grant full access to Delaney Hall. The New Jersey Department of Health has sued GEO Group to gain access. A similar dispute is ongoing with another GEO Group-run facility in Washington state.
Hawkins remarks on the revolving door between ICE and private prison companies, where executives transfer back and forth. Venturella, now leading ICE, has a long history with both the agency and GEO Group, highlighting these connections.
Concerns about potential conflicts of interest have been voiced by lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who questioned Venturella’s ability to remain impartial given his GEO Group ties.
As DHS expands its private detention network with increased funding amidst personnel reductions in oversight offices, immigrant advocates express alarm. Scott Shuchart, a former ICE official, criticizes the lack of care in mass deportations and detention expansions. He points out that 2026 has already become the deadliest year in immigration detention since DHS’s founding, according to governmental data.
The intricate relationship between private prison companies and federal agencies continues to shape the landscape of immigration detention, with serious implications for detainees and public transparency.