Throughline The Business of Migrant Detention
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Sep 18, 2025 Brianna Nofil, an assistant professor at The College of William & Mary and author of *The Migrant's Jail*, dives into the troubling history of the U.S. immigration detention system. She highlights its origins in early 1900s profit motives and the 1903 Malone case that exploited vulnerable migrants. The discussion also touches on Cold War policies, including Operation Wetback, and the growth of a detention industry fueled by federal investment and local economies courting such facilities. Nofil sheds light on how this massive system evolved into today's controversial practices.
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Small-Town Jail Became A Federal Holding Cell
- In 1903 Franklin County's jail was packed with Chinese migrants held administratively while awaiting immigration hearings.
- Sheriff Ernest Douglas profited directly from detaining them under a fee system that paid per inmate.
Detention As A Nationwide Infrastructure
- The U.S. immigration detention system uses local jails, federal sites, and private prisons to create a nationwide footprint.
- That scattered network makes detention administratively flexible and politically tolerable.
Sheriff Made Personal Profit From Detainees
- Sheriffs earned income per prisoner under a fee system, so holding immigrants became a lucrative personal business.
- Many detained Chinese filed habeas corpus claims and ultimately won, undermining mass deportations locally.
