Corruption Exposed: AOC Slams Laken Riley Act for Boosting Private Prisons!

“This is brazen corruption.”

This is how U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) characterized the actions of her congressional peers who are backing a GOP-led bill, which immigrant rights groups claim is a conservative takeover masked as a public safety effort.

The Laken Riley Act, which is named after a young woman who was tragically killed last year by a Venezuelan individual that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) states illegally entered the United States, was approved in the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon with a vote of 263-156. This approval saw forty-six Democrats and every attending Republican voting in favor, closely mirroring the 264-159 vote count of an earlier version of the bill that passed this month.

On Monday, the Senate also passed the legislation, with 12 Democrats aligning with 52 Republicans to endorse the bill. The bill notably broadens the mandatory federal detention of undocumented immigrants charged with even minor offenses. Following the House’s Wednesday vote, the Laken Riley Act is poised to be the first bill signed into legislation since President Donald Trump took office again.

Speaking from the House floor on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez expressed:

I want the American people to be fully aware of what is contained in this bill. We are discussing this just two days after President Trump issued blanket pardons to violent offenders who assaulted our Capitol on January 6th. These are the same individuals trying to convince us that they aim to “keep criminals off the streets,” yet they are essentially opening the doors wide open…

Under this bill, merely being accused of a crime, such as shoplifting, can lead to individuals being swept up and placed into a private detention center, then deported without a day in court, without a chance to claim their rights, and without proving their innocence until proven guilty. This bill fundamentally suspends a core American principle, and that is why I am standing in opposition.

“You might wonder why so many on the other side, who profess a deep commitment to the rule of law, are so eager to pass this legislation,” Ocasio-Cortez continued. “Just look at the bill’s price tag — $83 billion. They are aware it’s unaffordable. They know there isn’t enough capacity. What will happen? Private prison firms are set to receive a massive influx of money.”

“Examine which members of Congress have investments in private prison firms benefiting from this bill and look at their votes,” she added. “It’s appalling that individuals are filling their pockets with private prison profits on the back of a tragic crime and its victim. It’s utterly disgraceful.”

Her remarks followed Trump’s reversal of a 2021 executive order by former Democratic President Joe Biden intended to end U.S. Department of Justice contracts with private prisons. Despite Biden’s order, over 90% of individuals detained by ICE as of July 2023 were in for-profit facilities, notorious for severe human rights violations, as reported by the ACLU and other advocacy groups.

Anthony Enriquez, vice president of U.S. advocacy and litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and a contributor to Hill, recently labeled the Laken Riley Act “a sweetheart deal for the private prison industry.”

“Private prison executives seem set to secure a multibillion-dollar windfall at the expense of taxpayers through a cynical scheme exploiting the tragic death of a Georgia nursing student,” he cautioned.

With Trump’s recent electoral win in November, shares in private prison stocks, which had been underperforming most of 2024, have seen a significant increase, with GeoGroup rising more than 127% since Election Day and CoreCivic climbing over 63%.

Following reports that ICE plans to more than double its detention capability by opening 18 new facilities, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, commented on social media on Wednesday: “This likely translates into tens of billions in taxpayer dollars flowing into the coffers of private prison companies. They are drooling.”