Kamala Harris’ promise to close private ICE detention centers ‘on day one’ could dump thousands of convict migrants onto US streets
Vice President Kamala Harris’ past pledge to “absolutely” close all privately run immigration detention centers could mean releasing roughly 29,000 illegal migrants into American communities — including some 7,000 convicted criminals.
A newly resurfaced clip shows then-Sen. Harris (D-Calif.) responding to a question at an October 2019 town hall in Iowa City, when she was running as a candidate in the 2020 presidential race, promising to close the detention centers on “day one” in the White House.
“I want to know, when you become president, would you be committing to close the immigration detention centers?” the attendee asked.
Harris responded: “Absolutely, on day one. On day one.”
More than 75% of the 37,000 migrants in ICE detention are held in privately run detention centers. More than 10,000 of the migrants are convicted criminals and 4,000 have pending criminal charges.
At least 7,000 of the convicts are in private facilities, data shows.
“Their business model is that people are profiting off the incarceration of other human beings,” Harris said in 2019 of the contract facilities.
“I, on day one, will shut them down. That is not how our taxpayer dollars should be spent.”
Publicly traded security companies such as the GEO Group and Corecivic often own or operate the private detention centers.
It’s not clear whether Harris still supports the policy of immediately closing private detention centers. Although Harris is running as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, she hasn’t officially released her policy agenda.
A spokesperson for Harris’ campaign didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.
In March 2021, Harris was tapped to serve as the Biden administration’s “border czar” and lead efforts to address illegal migration from Central America.
The record illegal immigration that ensued after Harris assumed the role has become the center of criticism from her opponent, former President Donald Trump.
While she was questioning Trump’s nominee to lead ICE in 2018, Harris compared ICE agents to the KKK.
Also that year, Harris called on lawmakers to “critically re-examine” ICE and start the agency “from scratch,” saying “there’s a lot that is wrong with the way that it’s conducting itself.”
While on the 2024 campaign trail, Harris, 59, has attempted to appear tough on the border without addressing the record illegal immigration that occurred on her watch.
“I was attorney general of a border state. I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels and the human traffickers,” Harris said in Arizona on Friday.
“I prosecuted them in case after case and I won, so I know what I’m talking about.”
