Thursday, October 28, 2010
Immigration Nashville-Based Corrections Corp. of America Bought Arizona Immigration Bill
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Nashville's Corrections Corporation of America, the largest private prison company in the country, basically wrote Arizona Bill 1070 — the controversial immigration bill the Obama administration is challenging, and which conservative Tennessee legislators like Rep. Joe Carr of Murfreesboro praised this summer. That's the gist of an NPR investigation that uncovers Bond-villain levels of chicanery.
It was there that Arizona's immigration bill was drawn up. CCA naturally stood to gain the most. Citing a company document, NPR reported the company expected a "significant portion" of its future revenues to come from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the detention of undocumented immigrants.
When the bill, virtually unchanged from the language and substance laid down by its legislative and corporate authors, made it to the Arizona House floor, two-thirds of its sponsors were members of ALEC. Over the next several months, most of the bill's co-sponsors received donations from CCA and other corrections companies. Gov. Brewer, whose two top advisers are former private prison company lobbyists, immediately signed the bill.
Talk about the land of opportunity: The undocumented immigrants making the dangerous trek to this country, like so many millions from all over the world since the United States' founding, are indeed a golden opportunity — for companies like CCA, whose stock-and-trade is incarceration. And for a price, ALEC companies got Arizona's business.
Said the president of Geo Group, an ALEC member and private prison company during a conference call, "Those people coming across the border and getting caught are going to have to be detained and that for me, at least I think, there's going to be enhanced opportunities for what we do."
And that evidently means enhanced opportunities to stir and manipulate the irrational fears and prejudices of an inflamed citizenry, to serve the ends of powerful private companies wreathed in the patriotic duty of "securing our border" and "cracking down on illegal immigration." Invest now!
Comments (19)
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It's a small point, but I think the phrase is "stock in trade," not "stock and trade." Otherwise, good summary of the NPR scoop, Brantley.
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I think I might just go buy me some CCA stock! This sounds like a good American company, even if they are being persecuted by National Propaganda Radio! I get so fired up when I remember that some unelected judge threw out that great law! I was actually in Arizona, where I had gone the day before the law was supposed to go into effect because I was going to perform a citizen arrest on the first Mexican that I saw and some damn libtard judge kept me from doing something I've dreamed about for a long time!
ANGRY WHITE PUNKTRIOT....you better rent some balls 1st Sally. You look funny trying to give head through a straw.
How has SB 1070 changed Arizona so far? Are the private prisons getting more detainees? More than they were before? Or has SB 1070 prevented some from coming across the border? Anybody have any ideas?
I aggree CCA is a good investment in the short teram. However, if the borders were secure they would be no demand for CCA to build prisons because there are no violators in Arizona to lock up. Seeems simple, stop them from crossing th border. Problem solved!
I very seldom read or listen to NPR because they are worthless as a news agency, catching this artice was an accident but had to respond.
Do you mind explaining which news sourcesare worth a damn? I mean, just for perspective.
This is yet another collapse of NPR's credibility. The CCA did not write this bill. Nor did the idea originate with them.
"Do you mind explaining which news sourcesare worth a damn? I mean, just for perspective."
I will answer the question, because Mr. Fever56 has got better things to do than respond to you! He just caught this article by accident and has many other comment boards and blogs to respond to today than waste his time answering libtard questions! The answer is Fox News! Their fair and balanced reporting with such brilliant journalists like Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, and the always classy Sara Palin blows National Propaganda Radio out of the water!!!!! Their investigative reporting of that menacing group Acorn opened the eyes to a potential red scare! And who else would have alerted the public to the fact that Obama was actually born in the Congo and is a Communist sympathizing radical Muslim! You be the judge!
"This is yet another collapse of NPR's credibility. The CCA did not write this bill. Nor did the idea originate with them."
Exactly!!!!! This comment obviously closes the case! Sorry libtards!
This is exactly why the idea of for-profit prisons is such a terrible idea (and immoral in my opinion). Now there is a well-financed lobby out there who must cook up new ways to imprison more human beings for longer periods of time to keep expanding thier stock price.
ANGRY WHITE PATRIOT....you need help BOY!!! Can you pass a drug test?? I think not!~! typical right wing low IQ moron. Watch it that the rent to own store don't come repo your computer. STUPID JACK ASS!!!!
white patriot wants to be property of some corporation. better his problem then mine.
Donna, I read the piece you linked to and it doesn't even make an effort to debunk NPR piece. As far as I could tell, it doesn't even provide sources to how NPR was wrong and is mostly an opinion of the writer. It in no way debunks the notion that the CCA helped write the bill. It also doesn't mean they did and if I was with the CCA I would run from any notion that it might have because it was a ridiculously bad bill that would not have made a dent in the border violence. Instead, it would have cost the state of Arizona loads of money enforcing non-violent immigration offenders. Plus, it was clearly an unconstitutional law.
government of the people, by the people and for the people....and especially those newest people, as defined by our beloved right-leaning SCOTUS, CORPORATIONS!!!
Chris, I linked to Krikorian, because those of us abused folks in immigration-control circles, who, for many years, have been pushing certain kinds of federal and state legislation, know the folks who really came up with this legislation, who wrote the AZ bill and the AZ laws that preceded it. And bills in other states. We're just kind of laughing at NPR. Krikorian isn't saying much there, to be sure, but we're smirking.
And as AZ lawmaker Russell Pearce indicates, he's been pushing and passing immigration enforcement efforts for many years. He was one of the folks behind the successful AZ Proposition 200 -- back in 2004, I believe. We are part of a network that has been passing ideas around among ourselves for 15 years and more. None of this stuff is new. CCA didn't come up with it.
You are wrong; and states, we the people, are in the position of defending ourselves, because our federal government has failed its prime directive of protecting us.
"CCA didn't come up with it."
The point was never that CCA came up with it. It's that they helped write the bill. That's a big difference. If that is not the case, prove it. The NPR piece at least was sourced. If it was a hit-piece on CCA, prove it with sources. That's all I'm saying. But regardless of who wrote the bill, it was a bad bill that did not address the real problems that exist at the border.
"and states, we the people, are in the position of defending ourselves..."
Not constitutionally speaking. Only the federal government can make laws like that. Regardless of if the feds are failing at protecting the borders or not, Arizona, nor any state can create laws like that. And every time they try, they will be struck down. At the very least, they could have come up with an effective bill instead of creating one that was for political grandstanding purposes only.
Yep, whacko leftist anti-corporate conspiracy Blogs are ALWAYS a good source of reliable info... ROTFL!.
