The business of fear and racism: Big business and tech companies profit from Trump's immigration raids

LondonDonald Trump's second presidency has transformed the US border and cities into a vast private security laboratory. Under the umbrella of the rhetoric of "national security" And regarding border control, the White House and the US Treasury have deployed a machine of persecution and detention that operates not only through executive orders, but also with a constant flow of billions of dollars from public coffers into the hands of the private sector.

According to a comprehensive analysis of government contracting data, released by Forbes and the Financial TimesAmong other means, a select group of American companies has substantially changed its business model to become the pillars of the Republican's aggressive anti-immigration strategy. In total, throughout 2025 they have captured more than $22 billion, some €18.6 billion.

The phenomenon is not accidental, however, but rather the direct result of a policy that has prioritized outsourcing the surveillance and logistics of deportations to companies that, in many cases, maintain close ties with the Republican Party's political apparatus.

The acceleration of public spending has a clear origin in the legislative calendar: the ratification, in July 2025, of the funding law known as The Big Beautiful Bill. This legislation has injected unprecedented funds into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (the infamous ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Since its passage, ICE's spending on private contracts has doubled, rising from $1.5 billion to $3.7 billion in just two quarters. Meanwhile, CBP has increased its budget for contracts with the private sector sevenfold, registering nearly $2 billion in new work in the last month alone. In this context, collaboration between the state and private enterprise has become highly specialized, creating a network in which each corporation plays a crucial role in the chain of deporting undocumented immigrants. Within this industrial complex, Fisher Sand & Gravel stands out as the star contractor of the construction of the border wall with MexicoThe company, led by Republican donor Tommy Fisher, has secured contracts worth $6 billion. It thus manages the largest physical infrastructure component of Trump's program and solidifies its position as the construction arm of the border separation between the United States and Mexico. But once the physical obstacle is overcome, the logistical machinery of the expulsion requires capabilities of all kinds: for example, massive airlifts. This is where the company comes in. CSI AviationWith $1.2 billion in contracts, the firm has operated as broker of charter flights, and has become an indispensable tool for ICE in managing the airspace necessary for mass deportations since Trump's return to power in January 2025.

Repressive Technologies

The Republican administration's strategy is not limited to physical force. Artificial intelligence and digital tracking are equally critical. Global consulting firm Deloitte has seen its $100 million contracts updated to include "internet search and data analysis" support systems specifically designed for ICE targeting operations. This analytical capability is combined with the computer brain that provides Palantir. Alex Karp's technology companyWith $81 million in contracts last year, it has developed the controversial software intended for call tracking. self-deportationA tool designed to monitor and pressure immigrants who choose to leave the country due to bureaucratic and police pressure. Finally, the ground transport of detainees is handled by G4S, the British security firm that, with $68 million in contracts, manages the most direct logistics of transportation during deportation and removal operations. This company, incidentally, was involved in repeated scandals related to security operations at the 2012 London Olympics.

All this public spending occurs in a scenario of profound social and political fractureThe recent deaths by Alex Pretti and Renee Good The actions of federal agents in Minneapolis have ignited not only the capital of Minnesota but also other cities in the country and Congress, and have forced a debate about the brutality of the tactics used. Although the White House has tried to label the victims as "domestic terrorists," video evidence suggests a very different reality.

The partial government shutdown has led to the suspension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security if these interventions are not stopped, and Democrats threaten to maintain it until the administration agrees to some of their demands regarding anti-immigration agents, such as requiring them to wear identification and follow a code of conduct.

As the country heads toward a possible full government shutdown, the private sector continues to execute contracts that demonstrate that, for many multinational corporations, immigration management has become the most lucrative business of the decade.