America’s for-profit prison industry controls 126,000 Americans’ lives. It’s a $5 billion sector — one that encompasses the operation of 65% of the nation’s immigration detention beds. And at the same time, it is largely opaque, often unaccountable to the public or the government.

Donald Trump’s presidency has quickly been a boon to its business. Within months of taking office, Trump ramped up the private sector’s role in building more immigrant detention centers. In a one-paragraph memo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed the Obama Administration’s policy to reduce the use of private prisons at the federal level. And just a few weeks ago, both the Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started a preliminary bidding process for contractors who have immigrant detention capacity in South Texas, Chicago, Detroit, St. Paul and Salt Lake City.

via Private Prisons Lock Up Thousands. They Need More Oversight