Blumenthal Statement on DHS Review of Private Detention Facilities

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal released the following statement today after Secretary Jeh Johnson directed the Homeland Security Advisory Council to evaluate whether the immigration detention operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcements should move in the same direction as the Bureau of Prisons, which earlier this month announced that it was taking action to reduce and ultimately end its use of private prisons. According to a Center for American Progress report, 62 percent of immigration detention beds are operated by corporations.

“Private detention facilities often hold immigrants in well-documented appalling and inhumane conditions where abuse and neglect are rampant,” Blumenthal said. “I urge the Department of Homeland Security to follow the lead of the Justice Department, and take action to reduce the use of private facilities that place profits over public safety. Ultimately, our broken immigration system requires comprehensive reform.”

On August 18, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a series of steps to reduce the use of private – or contract – prison facilities. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) currently contracts with 13 privately run facilities, which do not provide the same level of services as BOP facilities, do not save on costs, and do not maintain the same level of safety and security. In the announcement, DOJ said that it will end the housing of inmates at three or more private facilities over the next year, reducing the total private prison population by more than half since 2013.

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