In her Crain’s Chicago Business commentary, Teresa Córdova underscores how immigration crackdowns disrupt Chicago’s economy while fueling corporate profits for private detention companies. Drawing on history, she highlights immigrants’ vital role in building Chicago’s prosperity, warns against fearmongering tactics that harm families and commerce, and criticizes wasteful spending on detention facilities that enrich CoreCivic and The GEO Group. Córdova calls for policies that uphold Illinois’ values by rejecting profiteering from human suffering and reinvesting in communities.
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Chicago remains one of the most interesting cities, most certainly in the U.S. and perhaps even in the world. I often think back to the bustling days of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when new technologies spurred investments, wealth was visible in the architecture and arts, and Chicago grew into a major hub of economic and cultural activity. But if we focus only on the grandeur of the “Gilded Age,” we miss the essential point: It was all made possible by companies that actively recruited immigrants who crossed oceans and borders to keep the engines of commerce running.
The low wages, poor working conditions and inadequate housing endured by these workers were major concerns for reformers of the “Progressive Era.” Labor organizers, photographers, social reformers and journalists argued that immigrants should be viewed as more than just cheap, exploitable labor. Upton Sinclair’s exposés on the meatpacking, oil, coal and auto industries, for instance, spurred significant reform efforts.
It is not new that companies and corporations have benefited from immigrant labor. Nor is it new that immigrant presence strengthens an economy. History tells us that the ebbs and flows of the economy often intersect with federal immigration policies. What we see today, however, is something different.
Masked men grabbing people — including citizens and non-criminals — from streets and workplaces with no constitutional authority or due process should alarm us, not only for the individuals and families torn apart, but also for the health of our republic. Beyond the human cost, these actions harm our economy. Fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids disrupts the functioning of local and regional economies. Latino immigrants, for example, fill essential jobs, fuel neighborhood commerce and operate small businesses that provide goods, services and stability to our supply chains. They are our neighbors and fellow Illinoisans, adding to the quality of our shared lives.
Raids disrupt industries reliant on immigrant labor, reduce production output, raise costs, dampen consumer spending, shrink tax revenues and depress real estate markets. If immigrant presence is so vital to Chicago and the nation’s economy, and mistreating immigrants raises moral and constitutional concerns, why are these tactics employed by ICE?
Fearmongering, which portrays immigrants as threats, has gained political support for harsh enforcement measures. But who truly benefits from this? Not small businesses or major employers who depend on stability. The ICE budget has skyrocketed, driving up federal debt even as public services are cut. Billions are spent to house so-called “threats” — a system that enriches private prison corporations.
CoreCivic and The GEO Group, the largest builders and operators of detention centers, are at the center of this equation. With the help of former government officials, they spend millions annually lobbying to secure federal appropriations for the infrastructure that feeds detention facilities and processing centers. While they claim not to lobby on who gets detained, they aggressively pursue contracts to build and operate the facilities where detainees are held.
The result: fast-tracked, lucrative no-bid contracts and distorted public policy. Never has so much profit been concentrated in immigrant detention.
In the second quarter of 2025, CoreCivic reported $538.2 million in revenue, while The GEO Group reached $636.2 million, both exceeding 2024 earnings. GEO Group projects 2025 revenues near $2.6 billion, with net income up to $295 million.
Immigration politics are directly tied to the profitability of this volatile industry. And who pays? Taxpayers, at great social and economic cost. A high-profile and striking example of bad policy and wasted public spending that enriches the private detention business is “Alligator Alcatraz.” After a $250 million expenditure, it’s already been ordered to close.
Cultural centers, commercial corridors and festivals have always been part of Chicago’s fabric. Appreciating immigrant communities is the Chicago way. Propping up corporate profits at the expense of our economy and our values is neither good business nor good public policy. Illinois legislators recognized this when they passed a 2019 law prohibiting private detention centers. Supporting the wisdom of that legislation while reinvesting in rural communities that might otherwise be enticed by the private prison industry are just two ways that we can affirm a civic ethos that no one should profit from human suffering.
From Crain’s Chicago Business (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)
