President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan was cashing checks from one of the private prison giants now poised to profit from the immigration crackdown he’s overseeing.
The revelation has fueled concerns that Homan’s private sector ties are shaping the Trump administration’s efforts to detain and deport migrants, The Washington Post reported, with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) warning that “the corruption concerns are too large to ignore.”
Prior to leading Trump’s mass deportation push, Homan collected consulting fees from the GEO Group—one of two companies that run a majority of the country’s immigrant detention centers—according a federal ethics filing obtained by the Post.
Homan’s ethics disclosure said GEO paid Homan more than $5,000 during the two years before his January appointment, though the Post noted the actual amount could be much higher, as ethics rules do not require a more specific disclosure.
As border czar, Homan has sought to rapidly expand the nation’s detention capacity—largely by enlisting the help of GEO and its rival, CoreCivic. He has pushed for 100,000 migrant detention beds—more than double the 41,500 beds funded in ICE’s 2024 budget.
As part of that effort, the Trump administration handed GEO several new contracts to manage additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. The company says the deals will generate a combined annual revenue of $130 million.
Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, noted that GEO’s “largest source of revenue is contracts with ICE” and said the news that Homan earned consulting fees from the company “raises even more questions”
GEO has long enjoyed a close relationships with federal agencies, with former agency officials frequently transitioning into roles within the company. The Post reported that at least three top GEO executives once held leadership positions at ICE.
Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told the Post he has long argued against appointing officials to government roles where they oversee industries they previously worked in.
“Was [Homan] being consulted to line up these contracts with the Trump administration right before he entered the Trump administration?” Painter asked.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Painter “suffers from extreme Trump derangement syndrome.”
“Tom Homan is an expert in his field and has dedicated his career—both in and out of government—to protecting American citizens and ending the scourge of illegal immigration,” Jackson said. “Tom’s work in the Trump administration is instrumental in getting dangerous illegals off our streets, and he gave up a successful private career to do it. He has always abided by the highest ethical standards and operated with integrity.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
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