In a recent court decision, the ruling favored private prison company CoreCivic in the case of CoreCivic v. Murphy. This decision overturns New Jersey's ban on for-profit immigration detention, allowing private detention facilities to continue their operations in the state. The 2021 law in New Jersey had prohibited new, renewed, or expanded contracts with private immigration detention centers, aiming for a more humane and accountable system.
CoreCivic challenged this law, arguing it interfered with federal immigration enforcement despite evidence of issues like abuse and neglect in privately run centers. In response to the ruling, Marleina Ubel, Senior Policy Analyst at NJPP, expressed concern about the precedent set by this decision.
“This ruling sets a dangerous precedent — one that allows corporations like CoreCivic to prioritize profits over people while operating little transparency or accountability," said Ubel. "By effectively ruling that corporate interests supersede state authority to protect public health and safety, the court has undermined New Jersey’s efforts to protect people from the documented harms of for-profit detention."
Ubel emphasized that despite the ruling, there is still an opportunity for New Jersey to lead in protecting individuals from private detention harms through increased oversight and advocacy for federal reform. She called on state leaders and federal policymakers to enhance oversight of these facilities and work towards ending for-profit detention permanently.
“NJPP calls on state leaders and federal policymakers to strengthen oversight of detention facilities, close legal loopholes that allow corporate exploitation, and continue working toward the permanent end of for-profit detention," she stated. "We will not stop fighting for a system that upholds human dignity over corporate profit.”
