How subcontracting key services leads to the entrenchment of urban immigration detention in many us communities

The US federal government contracts with US local governments to provide immigration detention. In new research Deirdre Conlon and Nancy Hiemstra find that these contracts generate substantial revenues for urban counties in New Jersey, and that county subcontracting for services such as food and medical care can also provide substantial revenues for local businesses. They write that the monetary benefits to counties alongside the potential negative effects for detainees of ending local immigration detention can further entrench the practice.