Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to “absolutely” close all privately run immigration detention centers “on day one” if elected president, as shown in a video obtained by The New York Post. During an October 2019 town hall in Iowa City, an attendee asked if she would commit to this action. Harris responded, stating, “I on day one will shut them down. That is not how our taxpayer dollars should be spent.”
In the U.S. there are currently around 37,000 migrants in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. The majority are being held in private facilities used by ICE.
