By Alan Bean

On February 23rd, several advocacy groups are sponsoring a briefing for congressional staff that shines a spotlight on Operation Streamline and the link between immigration policy and the private prison boom.

What is Operation Streamline, you ask?  This helpful fact sheet will bring you up to speed.  Pay particular attention to the recommendations at the very end.  It’s good to see proponents of a sane and sensible immigration policy placing concrete policy recommendations on the table.

Don’t Turn Comprehensive Immigration Reform into a
Prison Boom and Private Prison Bailout

Bipartisan negotiations over immigration reform – which pit a “pathway to citizenship” against “more
enforcement” – could lead to an expansion of “Operation Streamline” and federal felony prosecutions
of people crossing the Mexican border into the US. Criminal prosecutions of migrants promote the
unnecessary growth of private prisons at a time when crime is down nationwide. Lucrative contracts
for 13 “Criminal Alien Requirement” (CAR) prisons only serve the interests of private prison
profiteers, not public safety. (more…)