Donald Trump rode his method to a comeback with a quintessential law-and-order marketing campaign: He exaggerated crime traits, talked about American cities as although they had been battle zones, and directed his ire at migrants, flooding the Republican Nationwide Conference with “Mass Deportation Now!” indicators.
It’s exhausting to know precisely how Trump’s harsh immigration insurance policies will play out, however his marketing campaign press secretary mentioned that his new administration will begin its mass deportation operation on day one.
Trump received’t take workplace till January, however for those who’re questioning whether or not he’ll make good on his promise to arrest, detain, and deport migrants, right here’s one chart that paints a grim image of what could be forward:
GEO Group, a non-public jail company that has had billions of {dollars} price of contracts with the US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), noticed a steep rise in its inventory worth on Wednesday — about 38 % by the afternoon — after Trump was declared the winner of the presidential race. Whereas that doesn’t translate to coverage, it does present that the markets are betting that the non-public jail business will seemingly flourish beneath the following Trump administration.
This sort of market conduct is to be anticipated, since traders usually overreact to information occasions. However even when in the present day’s motion is a short lived worth spike, that doesn’t change the truth that the corporate itself has been betting on a Trump presidency to make a fortune. GEO Group’s spending on its lobbying efforts peaked through the Trump administration, and slowed down after President Joe Biden introduced that he would part out the Division of Justice’s (DOJ) contracts with non-public prisons. The corporate had additionally donated to Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and even hosted one among its annual occasions at one among his properties.
The reason being apparent: The corporate views a second Trump time period as a boon to its enterprise, which depends on authorities contracts. And since Trump is planning a mass deportation marketing campaign, that may seemingly imply the federal authorities will arrest and detain extra migrants. In a current earnings name with its traders, GEO Group executives prompt that if Trump received, his insurance policies may bolster the amount of cash being despatched to its detention amenities which have contracts with ICE.
The markets don’t all the time predict coverage. However in terms of the place traders are placing their cash and who non-public jail corporations like GEO Group supported for president, the guess they’re making is obvious: A second Trump time period is profitable for those who’re within the enterprise of incarcerating folks. It’s a fairly good guess.