Urge Divestment from Private Prison Giant GEO Group

Letter writer calls on Mainers to pressure institutions to divest from the private prison company profiting off immigration enforcement.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 5:05pm

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In a letter to the editor, the author argues that Stephen Miller, a former Trump administration official, is promoting aggressive immigration enforcement policies that benefit private prison companies like GEO Group. The author encourages readers to check if their investments are linked to GEO Group and to urge their banks, colleges, churches, or credit card companies to divest from the company.

Why it matters

The growth of private prisons has been a controversial issue, with critics arguing that these companies profit off mass incarceration and immigration detention. This letter highlights how one prominent private prison company, GEO Group, is seen as benefiting from the policies of figures like Stephen Miller.

The details

The author argues that private prison companies like GEO Group are profiting off the detention of immigrants, many of whom are "mostly innocents and mostly of darker skin." The author encourages readers to check if their own investments are linked to GEO Group and to pressure their institutions to divest from the company.

  • The letter was published on February 23, 2026.

The players

Stephen Miller

A former Trump administration official who the author says is a proponent of aggressive immigration enforcement policies that benefit private prison companies.

GEO Group

A leading American and global private prison system that is publicly traded on the NYSE.

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What they’re saying

“What America has learned from war is that it makes a lot of rich people richer, i.e., recall Halliburton and Bechtel? So, the current leaders say they want to avoid war but then how can they add to their coffers? 'We'll build detention centers, round up the mostly innocents and mostly of darker skin, and the few guilty of crimes and shove them in.'”

— Portia Miles Smith, Letter writer

The takeaway

This letter highlights the ongoing debate over the role of private prisons, particularly in the context of immigration enforcement. It calls on readers to pressure their institutions to divest from companies like GEO Group that are seen as profiting off of these policies.