A little 'Behind The Scenes' Info on Arizona's Immigration Law

Last year, two men showed up in Benson, Ariz., a small desert town 60 miles from the Mexico border, offering a deal.

Glenn Nichols, the Benson city manager, remembers the pitch.

"The gentleman that's the main thrust of this thing has a huge turquoise ring on his finger," Nichols said. "He's a great big huge guy and I equated him to a car salesman."

What he was selling was a prison for women and children who were illegal immigrants.

www.npr.org...

I can't really say I'm surprised here, but wanted to post this for you all since I didn't see it anywhere after searching ATS. I honestly think this is far more serious than the attention it has received suggests. I really don't have much more to add. I think the story speaks for itself.

- Dredge

Yeah, if they actually start enforcing the law it's going to create jobs and make money, so what?
Second line.

reply to post by Soldier of God


I'll tell you "So what?"

In Arizona, which I presume is much like any other state, laws ... those things which legislators (elected officials) produce... are meant to represent the will of the people who elected them. The purpose and implementation of those laws are expected to be consistent with the people's well being. But unless we subscribe to the basest axiom "The ends justifies the means" this particular law and it's passage in Arizona has little to nothing to do with 'the people.' It had to do with creating criminals and generating revenue based on the laws the created.

In simpler terms. it's like the owners of a for-profit whistler's prison convincing law-makers to make it illegal to whistle.

The OP was admirably conservative in the presentation of the material, which apparently, you either didn't read, don't understand, or are simply inclined to be of the "So what?" mentality that let's these 'people' get away with their politically expedient opportunism.

Should you be inclined to read (a likelihood of which I am not very confident) I offer this:

- The Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is almost word for word the exact verbiage as proposed in the Maryland hotel room by a consortium of business officers with legislators. This group is called ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) and consists of an unknown number of state legislators and powerful corporations and associations, like Reynolds American Inc., ExxonMobil and the National Rifle Association and more notably the the billion-dollar Corrections Corporation of America — the largest private prison company in the country.

The bill was 'drafted' by this group (about 50 of them anyway) from ALEC... not that they had any trouble finding a political careerist eager to take credit for the Bill (Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce who is also a board member of ALEC), considering the support it would bring him....

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/47e839c915ae.jpg[/atsimg]

Now... we have always known that business communities have lobbyist and other 'connections' with legislators that private citizens don't have (aside from wealthy political private donors.) But the egregious blatant mischaracterization behind this law is particularly shameful (or shameless depending on your predilection).

In the conference room, the group decided they would turn the immigration idea into a model bill. They discussed and debated language. Then, they voted on it.

"There were no 'no' votes," Pearce said. "I never had one person speak up in objection to this model legislation."

Four months later, that model legislation became, almost word for word, Arizona's immigration law.

They even named it. They called it the "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act."

I question the "process" because it seems self-serving and somewhat un-American that multi-billion dollar for-profit Prison executives be involved in the very legislation that will bring them hundreds of thousands of prisoners... or "business opportunities" which WE - the tax-payers will be expected to pay for.

Glenn Nichols, the Benson city manager, remembers the pitch.

"The gentleman that's the main thrust of this thing has a huge turquoise ring on his finger," Nichols said. "He's a great big huge guy and I equated him to a car salesman."

What he was selling was a prison for women and children who were illegal immigrants.

"They talk [about] how positive this was going to be for the community," Nichols said, "the amount of money that we would realize from each prisoner on a daily rate."

But Nichols wasn't buying. He asked them how would they possibly keep a prison full for years — decades even — with illegal immigrants?

"They talked like they didn't have any doubt they could fill it," Nichols said.

That's because prison companies like this one had a plan — a new business model to lock up illegal immigrants. And the plan became Arizona's immigration law.

You see, once this 'draft' was generated, their was not only a guarantee for their business - but a government MANDATE to guarantee their investment.

Now - private companies pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege to attend these ALEC meeting... and we can clearly see why.

The same day the legislation hit the state senate floor, 36 senators gladly volunteered to co-sponsor the bill (and a full two-thirds of them were either at the ALEC meeting when the draft was completed - or were themselves members of ALEC.)

Thirty of the 36 co-sponsors received donations over the next six months, from prison lobbyists or prison companies — Corrections Corporation of America, Management and Training Corporation and The Geo Group.

Gov. Jan Brewer's has connections to private prison companies. State lobbying records show two of her advisers — her spokesman Paul Senseman and her campaign manager Chuck Coughlin — are former lobbyists for private prison companies. Brewer signed the bill four days later.

And that my friends is "So what?"

Now immigrants are business opportunities .... especially if they can't prove their status... because while the accusation of illegal status is resolved... they are by law required to be housed in one of these 'businesses'. It makes you wonder why they pitched "women and children" as targets... doesn't it?

Originally posted by Soldier of God
Yeah, if they actually start enforcing the law it's going to create jobs and make money, so what?
Second line.

You're supposedly a Soldier of God yet you are saying so what to blatant violations of human rights??

reply to post by Misoir


Solider of the murderous Christian God.
That's not surprising to me.
And they call it puppy love.

Gee, I should have known better than to go creating threads like "Jan Brewer For President 2012."

How could I be so utterly dumb to think Arizona was passing these laws to protect the resident border farmers who were otherwise told to arm themselves by local law enforcement- because they were about to be killed by illegal criminals.

... TA, you are really losing it, get a grip! There is no such thing anymore as a humble America, protection of the innocent by law, and good deeds by government. Those are myths. If government did it, it is for profit, alternative motive, payoff, favors, corruption, or greed.

Thanks for ruining my Arizona day.... I had hope. But no more.

reply to post by Maxmars


Thanks for the detailed information Maxmars. I really only heard about this particular story today honestly and didn't really know too much about the situation other than what MSM trumpets across my TV. I have to say that I see it as creating a category to define people as criminals in order to justify and build the infrastructure necessary to deal with them for no other reason than money. These people could care less about who is affected by this situation. Most of the people that will be affected are not really criminals. They just want a better life. In Africa we sometimes call those who wish to move to a better country refugees, but when it is OUR country, they're Illegal Immigrants. I agree they should come over legally, but putting those in prison who don't instead of just sending them home is ridiculous. If the money they're willing to invest in these prisons was put towards improving border security and other proactive measures, I bet that would do a lot more good. Sadly, that won't really turn a profit I guess. I can see why many people in Arizona are upset with the immigrant situation. I am not saying that it isn't a problem, but building prisons is not the answer.

We've seen where things like this lead. And I know others thought this as well as soon as the word PRISONS was mentioned.

And sorry if it brought some negativity to anyone, but I honestly felt I needed to post this as soon as I read it. I was just so amazed this wasn't all over the place.

- Dredge

...you did good, dredge...

...so, why isnt this all over the news?... for the same reason it wasnt made common knowledge when brewer first (so haughtily) unveiled her bs law - its nasty, void of integrity and might enlighten decent citizens as to how things REALLY work...

...why should i care since i dont live in arizona?... because i live in texas and the same sling nasty bunch thats pushing this in az is pushing it in all border states and anywhere else they can find dirty politicians to support it...

reply to post by Wyn Hawks


Thanks Wyn Hawks,

I can definitely see this spreading to the other border states fairly easily. Hopefully this all gets put to a stop, but who knows these days.

- Dredge

There isn't any problem with putting illegal invaders in a prison, be it privately owned or publicly funded.

At least someone is trying to do something to stop the invasion, who cares if profit is their motive?

Originally posted by BigTimeCheater
There isn't any problem with putting illegal invaders in a prison, be it privately owned or publicly funded.

At least someone is trying to do something to stop the invasion, who cares if profit is their motive?

I am unclear as to how imprisoning them 'stops' the invasion?

I am all for it, as long as they start throwing people that employ and house illegals in prison too. I bet that would put a stop to it pretty quick.

Originally posted by BigTimeCheater
There isn't any problem with putting illegal invaders in a prison, be it privately owned or publicly funded.

At least someone is trying to do something to stop the invasion, who cares if profit is their motive?

I tend to agree.

I think the bigger picture here is that we have people OTHER THAN ELECTED OFFICIALS making the laws ???

It does seem that most politicians are from the same mold and don't make too many decisions for themselves, and may not be serving the best interests of their electoral districts.

and after seeing this post, I think we get an explanation as to WHY the Feds (Dem controlled) are fighting AZ (Repubs) in court !

the Repubs like "contractors", the Dems like "govt employees".

as usual however, ALL involved get PAID big money anyway whether its FOR or AGAINST !

-- all $$$ are non-refundable too !

and nothing gets done as long as the "fight" drags on and on and on !

p.s. even if they use a "private" contractor, the GOV still pays the bill with "public" funds,

i.e. YOUR MONEY.

Originally posted by Maxmars

Originally posted by BigTimeCheater
There isn't any problem with putting illegal invaders in a prison, be it privately owned or publicly funded.

At least someone is trying to do something to stop the invasion, who cares if profit is their motive?

I am unclear as to how imprisoning them 'stops' the invasion?

Good Point !

Maybe we need military action instead ?

Originally posted by BigTimeCheater
At least someone is trying to do something to stop the invasion, who cares if profit is their motive?

...as already intimated, wheres the proof that says imprisoning illegal immigrants will stop the flow?...

...answer: they havent dreamed it up yet...

...if you live in az, your taxes are going to increase significantly to support the fat cats who own the prisons... are you okay with that?... got so much money that you dont mind giving it to richer people?...

...these prisons could have a positive effect on the economy of the locals affected - but - that might turn out to be a hellish trade-off considering how dishonestly this whole deal was handled from the get-go...

...its possible that when the fat cats decide they dont have enough prisoners, their puppets will pass legislation that makes you a criminal... guess you're okay with that too, as long as it stops "the invasion" of desperately poor people fleeing a country that the usofa has helped to corrupt for MANY decades...

The problem with the prisons is that it won't stop the flow of incoming illegal immigrants. It may actually encourage more to come. If I was either living in a slum in Mexico or could come to America where the worst that would happen is that I'd get 3 hots and a cot in a prison system that is full of people mainly from my country, I don't know if that would discourage me. It's not like they don't face violence on a daily basis as it is much of the time. So it still may be better to risk coming here.

Citizens of Arizona won't save any money really. Instead of their taxes going to healthcare and other government programs, it will go to the prisons. As for jobs, not many people will want to work in the prisons. Sure, they'd find people, but that isn't an industry I'd want to rely on, especially when the law(s) can be overturned by some crazy liberal tree hugger . As is more common than not, some people see dollar signs and others get to focus their anger on something and nothing really gets accomplished.

- Dredge

Since NAFTA the amount of trade has made Mexico the number one trade partner of the state of Texas... It is likely that other border states are profiting as well and of course Mexico is.... It has occurred to me that Mexican investors and business men could very well be in on the business of incarcerating illegals for profits as well.... There are a lot of billionaires in Mexico (three counties have more) and privately owned and operated prisons also contract out labor by prisoner to corporations... Even with the cost of education preventing the lower income people and some of the middle class from being able to move ahead and prosper, and the war on drugs are putting many of these people in the for profit prisons with pay offs to judges to give long sentences for young first time offenders, Mexican illegals would be a logical source of revenue.... I'm glad I don't have children to worry about because it will be juvenile offenders that will soon be the source of slave labor and it may be that illegals are a viable of profit that will prolong that from happening for awhile anyway..... Like always we will be footing the bill and the ultra rich international investors that got in on this early on will be profiting from it.

Here's the latest article I found about prisons for profit. CCA will make $60 a day for each prisoner/illegal immigrant. Highlights a father who has been imprisoned for 15 months because of a mistake in where his paperwork was sent. He has been here in the US since he was 8 years old, married a US citizen, and has a 4 year old child. When do decency and human rights come in to play. These prisoners are crammed into these places and are being denied proper care. Profits over human beings.

Published on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 by OtherWords
The For-Profit Con to Criminalize Immigrants
In addition to directing funding towards enforcement-only policies that criminalize immigrants, CCA lobbies for immigration policies that get more undocumented residents locked up.
by Catalina Nieto

The only time four-year-old Logan got to play hide-and-seek with his dad this year was through a Plexiglass window at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, nine hours from his hometown.

A person might be detained in a for-profit center like Stewart for any number of reasons, many of them bureaucratic. Some detainees were seeking refuge in the United States as victims of U.S.-sponsored military training and atrocities in Latin America. Other detainees are farmers, whose only economically viable option was to find work in the United States in order to provide for their families. Trade policies beneficial to American agribusiness are often at the root of this type of migration.

In Logan's dad's case, the issue was bureaucratic: his elderly mother became confused during a residency interview and the official paperwork was sent to an out-of-date address. Although Pedro Guzman Perez came to the United States as an eight-year-old child, is married to a U.S. citizen, and has an American-born son, he has been held in detention for the past 15 months as his case is processed.

In the meantime, life in a detention center can be harsher than federal lock-up. The Stewart Detention Center is run by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The company prioritizes its profit margin over maintaining minimum standards for health care. As a result, thousands of detainees across the country are left suffering in prison cells without access to sufficient medical attention. In March 2009, Stewart detainee Roberto Martinez Medina died of simple infection that went untreated at the detention center. Pedro's fellow prisoners have resorted to hunger strikes to call for better conditions.

"You show me a for-profit prison and I'll show you a human rights violation," said one former Immigration and Naturalization Service commissioner at a 2009 panel on immigration detention.

CCA's executive team wasn't always swimming in money. In 1999, independent auditors doubted CCA could even stay in business after the corporation suffered a net loss of $72 million, primarily due to beds left empty in their detention centers.

Then CCA began to lobby for harsher immigration policies. From January 2008 to April 2010, CCA spent $4.4 million lobbying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security, both houses of Congress, and other government bodies. Five of CCA's most lucrative contracts with ICE have no end date. And as a result, less funding is going to immigration policies that meet basic human rights standards.

Meanwhile, CCA executives, who refer to detained immigrants as "product," are set to reap huge profits.

In addition to directing funding towards enforcement-only policies that criminalize immigrants, CCA lobbies for immigration policies that get more undocumented residents locked up and thus fill empty beds. In fact, NPR uncovered the company's role not only in lobbying for the anti-immigrant law Arizona SB 1070, but also in drafting it. CCA already has six detention centers in Arizona. For CCA, laws like SB 1070 mean big bucks.

"We've never seen the wind at our back like it is today," CCA's president and CEO John D. Ferguson said after discussing $1.3 billion in revenue during a conference call with investors. The federal government is spending $60.50 per inmate per day at the detention center.

And that's too bad for kids like Logan, who didn't get to spend Christmas with his dad again in December.

"Emotionally, it's really hard and mentally draining. I don't see my wife very often," Pedro told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution following a vigil at the Stewart Detention Center. "For my son, I want to be there. I want to play with him...I cannot smell him and feel his skin and give him a hug. I wish I could have that time."

Every additional day Logan's dad languishes in at the Stewart Detention Center, a family is further torn apart and CCA's profit margin grows.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
Catalina Nieto is the National Grassroots Organizer with Witness for Peace. www.WitnessforPeace.org

Here's the link to the article: www.commondreams.org...

I'll probably cop some flak for this but...

Illegal = law breakers
Jail - the place law breakers are put.

It makes sense to me... They broke the law by living /entering illegally in USA. It makes sense that they would be put into jail. Noone is going to be deterred from illegal immigration if it's not enforced publicly... As long as they are being treated at the same standard as your regular American Joe convict I don't see how it's a human rights violation to be very honest. If someone illegally broke into your house in the middle of the night you would want them punished, wouldn't you?

Many of these people are migrant farm workers and others trying to survive and feed their families. (Who else is going to pick our fruit and vegetables. The US allows this practice.) Americans were all immigrants at one time. If we are putting these people in prison, we still need to treat them as human beings- not cattle. And they need to have a fair and speedy trial. I believe that many of us would cross borders too if it meant feeding their families.

Something does need to be done, but we need to be making decisions that serve the American people, and are fair to citizens of other countries. I'm sure we would appreciate the same consideration. We as a country are turning into terrorists, in my opinion, if we condone the mistreatment of anyone.