The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: ‘Deportation, Inc.’ and the Rise of the Immigration Enforcement Economy
Dec 19, 2025
In a riveting discussion, Setareh Ghandehari, Nayna Gupta, and Paromita Shah explore the troubling dynamics of the immigration enforcement economy. Setareh highlights the worsening conditions in privatized detention facilities, while Nayna analyzes how profit motives drive detention counts and oversight failures. Paromita uncovers the role of surveillance companies and the chilling efficiency with which deportations are managed. The conversation challenges listeners to rethink the moral implications of lawful yet harmful practices in their quest for immigration reform.
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Deportation As A Profit-Driven Industry
- The deportation system functions like a profit-driven industry melding corporate interests with enforcement.
- Nayna Gupta warns this blend creates entrenched incentives to expand detention and deportation.
Immigration Detention Mirrors Mass Incarceration
- Immigration detention growth paralleled the rise of the private prison industry and mass incarceration.
- Setareh Ghandehari connects immigration detention's expansion to broader carceral and racial histories.
Surveillance Fuels Deportation Machinery
- DHS purchases surveillance and data systems at massive scale to identify and track noncitizens.
- Paromita Shah highlights tech founders and tools shaping deportation through commercial data and facial recognition.