Terrific reporting & analysis, Adrian! Great graphic at top of article - deserves a bit of explication about the private GEO ICE detention facility in Adelanto (starting with: Spanish for 'progress' or 'advancement'). Wikipedia: per 2020 census, the city is almost 2/3 Latino heritage. Area originally agricultural, an inventor of the Hotpoint electric iron bought land in 1915 to start a planned community. In 1941 the Army built an air field that eventually became George AF Base and was the main local employer. A not-uncommon American dream story... till ~1991 when 2 private prisons were built. Small/rural towns in CA and elsewhere have experienced this - whether private or state-run, the prison economy takes over. Jobs, commerce - everybody wants some! The emotional & spiritual tolls come due eventually. In the Southwest, the mix of Latino heritage and modern immigration imprisonment is an especially difficult mixture. They don't build those cells to be empty. Fits into the Republican/Project 2025 vision of privatization, to the point where the corporations drive the federal agency that pays them. The people's only participation is to supply our tax funding; with congress on permanent vacation, we don't get any real say, nor even oversight. So again, blessings to journalists like Adrian!
On the shift in visibility of the corruption (meaning decay/decomposition; your choice to apply its other definitions) - Noem & her sidekick drew too much attention for flaunting personal benefits like the tricked-out jet, Bovino for his tricked-out costumes (rivaling ICE barbie). That was self-aggrandizing and easily seen by us taxpayers, not a great image for the 'conservative' party (LOL... till I cry), but really at base retail level. The big bux are at wholesale level such as the private prison industry. Even the purely personal gain like Zampolli's domestic relations fix is harder for the public to see. More light, Adrian - keep on shinin' 🔥
Thank you for a thorough update. Nothing good is going to come of these changes. i am still wondering why Senator Mullin gave up a lifetime job in the Senate for what is hopefully a temporary gig.
Denise - sad to say, those prisons aren't built in order to go out of business. We don't give billions to DHS for them to close up shop. Mullin does have risk of his boss needing a fall guy at some point, but the larger project is intended to be a perpetual motion machine.
Red Rooter Mullin is not a kinder and gentler version of Kristi Noem in my opinion. His main advantage is his invisibility to this point and his tenure will likely hinge on maintaining a very low profile as he dances to the tune called by The Don. YMMV.
Is anyone at The Bulwark prepared to offer a concrete plan for removing and dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants who entered the country on Biden's watch — or even open a real conversation about it? Until you do that, you’re not merely complaining about those dealing with the issue, you’re making it worse!
There was a plan in 2024 if you remember. A bi-partisan bill that Biden said he would sign. Crafted over months by the junior Republican Senator from Oklahoma. Felon Trump said to kill it, and Johnson agreed. That’s your current President and Congress at work. Immigration is only a means to throw out people who are not white. ICE arrested a US citizen three times. What does that tell you about ICE? According to their own data, ICE is arresting people with no criminal records! Your candidate talked about removing criminals, gang leaders and drug dealers. How is that working out when they go into schools, churches, and even the courthouses? That’s where the bad people reside? Last, the people who were entering the US at checkpoints were seeking ASYLUM. That is legal in every country.
Arguing about which devils dance on a pin is pointless. I am asking if Bulwark readers are capable of offering and discussing reasonable resolution. Your answer is clearly no. The echo chamber of TDS may be cathartic to some, but does not contribute to resolving the the enormous problem standing in plane sight.
I don't see how we ever get out of this tsunami of corruption, without some very painful and deadly events ahead. There are so many corrupt people it is mind boggling to me. And terrifying, sickening, depressing and overwhelmingly sad. And I am so sad for my children and grandchildren. The price of repairs will be unthinkable.
There are two problems with "going after the felons" from MAGA's point of view: 1) Stephen Miller's quotas for numbers cannot possibly be met; and 2) in many cases, how we know they are felons is that they are incarcerated. Do they really want to make ICE a get-out-of-jail-free card for violent offenders?
No we do not. But the felon does. He pardoned the former president of Ecuador who was in charge of exporting over 400 tons of cocaine into this country.
Your amazing story about such brazen corruption at ICE (no surprise) added to the IRS robbery attempt to the President and to his sons making us realize that Hunter Biden wasn't very good at using his father's position the way the Trump boys do it , and to the Secretary of Treasury moonlighting and the Secretary of Commerce family monetizing family, all add up to the underlying purpose of the Trump Presidency -- A comprehensive plot for a possible Godfather IV. It is a natural progression for the Coreloni family that its celebrated author could be proud of. And the Trump family and cabinet could all play themselves.
Two enduring ironies of the immigration/deportation misery: (1) the Congress (now it's the 'congress') has for more than three decades failed to introduce sensible, functional immigration procedures; and (2) with the demographic realities of the United States, based on birth/death rates and an irreversibly aging population, we need immigrants, urgently.
Never forget, the nation is based on the immigration of millions from scores of countries. The 'melting pot' is historical reality, whether we like it or not.
"You’re talking about a private prison company profiting off of the pain of immigrants now having their employee be the new head of ICE.”
In the grand tradition of the German industrialists who built the gas chambers. And just like the Nazi party, Republicans say that Jesus wants us to do this.
Thanks, Adrian, for the details on what the leadership transition in DHS indicates. Very helpful. Great reporting 👏
Terrific reporting & analysis, Adrian! Great graphic at top of article - deserves a bit of explication about the private GEO ICE detention facility in Adelanto (starting with: Spanish for 'progress' or 'advancement'). Wikipedia: per 2020 census, the city is almost 2/3 Latino heritage. Area originally agricultural, an inventor of the Hotpoint electric iron bought land in 1915 to start a planned community. In 1941 the Army built an air field that eventually became George AF Base and was the main local employer. A not-uncommon American dream story... till ~1991 when 2 private prisons were built. Small/rural towns in CA and elsewhere have experienced this - whether private or state-run, the prison economy takes over. Jobs, commerce - everybody wants some! The emotional & spiritual tolls come due eventually. In the Southwest, the mix of Latino heritage and modern immigration imprisonment is an especially difficult mixture. They don't build those cells to be empty. Fits into the Republican/Project 2025 vision of privatization, to the point where the corporations drive the federal agency that pays them. The people's only participation is to supply our tax funding; with congress on permanent vacation, we don't get any real say, nor even oversight. So again, blessings to journalists like Adrian!
On the shift in visibility of the corruption (meaning decay/decomposition; your choice to apply its other definitions) - Noem & her sidekick drew too much attention for flaunting personal benefits like the tricked-out jet, Bovino for his tricked-out costumes (rivaling ICE barbie). That was self-aggrandizing and easily seen by us taxpayers, not a great image for the 'conservative' party (LOL... till I cry), but really at base retail level. The big bux are at wholesale level such as the private prison industry. Even the purely personal gain like Zampolli's domestic relations fix is harder for the public to see. More light, Adrian - keep on shinin' 🔥
Thank you for a thorough update. Nothing good is going to come of these changes. i am still wondering why Senator Mullin gave up a lifetime job in the Senate for what is hopefully a temporary gig.
Denise - sad to say, those prisons aren't built in order to go out of business. We don't give billions to DHS for them to close up shop. Mullin does have risk of his boss needing a fall guy at some point, but the larger project is intended to be a perpetual motion machine.
Thank you. That makes sense.
You bring up ethics????????? No such thing from the GOP
New brand for DHS, CORRUPT R US! Same old, same old. So little time, so much to steal.
Red Rooter Mullin is not a kinder and gentler version of Kristi Noem in my opinion. His main advantage is his invisibility to this point and his tenure will likely hinge on maintaining a very low profile as he dances to the tune called by The Don. YMMV.
Is anyone at The Bulwark prepared to offer a concrete plan for removing and dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants who entered the country on Biden's watch — or even open a real conversation about it? Until you do that, you’re not merely complaining about those dealing with the issue, you’re making it worse!
There was a plan in 2024 if you remember. A bi-partisan bill that Biden said he would sign. Crafted over months by the junior Republican Senator from Oklahoma. Felon Trump said to kill it, and Johnson agreed. That’s your current President and Congress at work. Immigration is only a means to throw out people who are not white. ICE arrested a US citizen three times. What does that tell you about ICE? According to their own data, ICE is arresting people with no criminal records! Your candidate talked about removing criminals, gang leaders and drug dealers. How is that working out when they go into schools, churches, and even the courthouses? That’s where the bad people reside? Last, the people who were entering the US at checkpoints were seeking ASYLUM. That is legal in every country.
Arguing about which devils dance on a pin is pointless. I am asking if Bulwark readers are capable of offering and discussing reasonable resolution. Your answer is clearly no. The echo chamber of TDS may be cathartic to some, but does not contribute to resolving the the enormous problem standing in plane sight.
Excellent analysis
Highly illuminating
Thank you greatly
I don't see how we ever get out of this tsunami of corruption, without some very painful and deadly events ahead. There are so many corrupt people it is mind boggling to me. And terrifying, sickening, depressing and overwhelmingly sad. And I am so sad for my children and grandchildren. The price of repairs will be unthinkable.
"We have CoreCivic...will that be okay?"
Such 💰 to be made off the brown people in this country. It's The Murican Way to turn anything into a buck.
I can't rid myself of My AM dry heaves.
There are two problems with "going after the felons" from MAGA's point of view: 1) Stephen Miller's quotas for numbers cannot possibly be met; and 2) in many cases, how we know they are felons is that they are incarcerated. Do they really want to make ICE a get-out-of-jail-free card for violent offenders?
No we do not. But the felon does. He pardoned the former president of Ecuador who was in charge of exporting over 400 tons of cocaine into this country.
Your amazing story about such brazen corruption at ICE (no surprise) added to the IRS robbery attempt to the President and to his sons making us realize that Hunter Biden wasn't very good at using his father's position the way the Trump boys do it , and to the Secretary of Treasury moonlighting and the Secretary of Commerce family monetizing family, all add up to the underlying purpose of the Trump Presidency -- A comprehensive plot for a possible Godfather IV. It is a natural progression for the Coreloni family that its celebrated author could be proud of. And the Trump family and cabinet could all play themselves.
Two enduring ironies of the immigration/deportation misery: (1) the Congress (now it's the 'congress') has for more than three decades failed to introduce sensible, functional immigration procedures; and (2) with the demographic realities of the United States, based on birth/death rates and an irreversibly aging population, we need immigrants, urgently.
Never forget, the nation is based on the immigration of millions from scores of countries. The 'melting pot' is historical reality, whether we like it or not.
Business model? No empty beds.
And we get the same per diem for citizens, so...
"You’re talking about a private prison company profiting off of the pain of immigrants now having their employee be the new head of ICE.”
In the grand tradition of the German industrialists who built the gas chambers. And just like the Nazi party, Republicans say that Jesus wants us to do this.