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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

Did Gov. Jan Brewer choose pesos over principles?

Posted on Friday, October 29, 2010 at 12:57 AM

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Private corporations that own prisons were closely involved in the writing and passage of Arizona’s SB-1070 immigration law, according to a report heard on National Public Radio this week (NPR).

Back in July Jan Brewer, the state governor, justified the adoption of the shockingly anti-immigrant bill by saying that "law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded."

But it turns out that it may have been bucks, and not beheadings, that drove the bill. At the very least NPR's report is strongly questioning the governors motives.

Through an organization called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), NPR reports that the private-prison industry helped shape the bill, presumably to increase their own revenue by mandating that the undocumented be incarcerated in large numbers.

That bill eventually became Arizona’s controversial new SB-1070 immigration law.

According to NPR the Corrections Corporation of America sees incarcerating large numbers of undocumented immigrants as its next big market, providing “a significant portion of our revenues,” according to company documents quoted in the article.

So jailing undocumented Mexicans isn't just a patriotic duty, it could also be really profitable, apparently. In fact it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to the private prison companies responsible for housing them.

And we're supposed to believe that consideration wasn't a factor? There are between 350,000 to 450,000 undocumented immigrants in the state, depending on whose figures you believe. Looking at them, some see desperate people trying to make a life for themselves, and other's see a rich opportunity.

Two-thirds of the Arizona immigration bills co-sponsors are either members of the ALEC group or were said to be present at the meeting when the idea for the bill was first introduced, NPR claims. 30 of the 36 co-sponsors received campaign donations from private prisons or private-prison lobbyists in the months after the bill was introduced.

If you follow the money, what is it saying?

When the bill was introduced Governor Brewer became something of a celebrity to the many anti-immigrant groups around the nation.

I wonder what they'll make of her now that NPR appears to be suggesting it may have been pesos and not principles that were really at work?

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49 comments

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hollabackgurl | Oct 29, 2010, 12:53 PM EDT

This was crafting a government bill to imprison people for profit. If you can't see that's un-American (and inhuman, frankly) you don't deserve the right to vote. It's as bad as the Soviets. The Health Care Bill was crafted to protect the vulnerable, not imprison them for God's sake. The Financial Reform bill was crafted to protect consumers from predatory lenders and to reign in the banks. You can't possibly comapre those bills with Arizona's bag a Mexican for profit.

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jflanagan | Oct 29, 2010, 12:42 PM EDT

Goldman Sachs helped write the Financial Reform Bill, Insurance companies helped write the Healthcare Reform Act and Union helped with the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Why be surprised when an industry or employees group gets involved in writing legislation that will affect their livelihood. I don't like it either but let's throw stones at all the politicians, not just the ones who don't have your huge government policies.

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kilgara | Oct 29, 2010, 12:35 PM EDT

O'Doherty, what part of the word illegal do you and O'Dowd don't understand? When will you face reality and seek another line of work?

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hollabackgurl | Oct 29, 2010, 12:20 PM EDT

Arizona: incarcerating lettuce pickers for profit since 2010?

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Laura Wilson | Oct 29, 2010, 11:11 AM EDT

part #2 they take $100.00's of dollars worth of meds daily and laugh at UA, hey lets go get our skittles, hahaha i pay for bcbs Ins, crappy and i struggle to afford my own meds, if they were out in main stream usa or thier country they wouldnt be on these meds unless tax payers pay for them. This cost times how many Illegals ???? not to mention thier criminal records, WAKE UP PEOPLE

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Laura Wilson | Oct 29, 2010, 11:08 AM EDT

these Illegals are SUCKING our economy DRY!!! if you have a better Idea GET TO IT! things you may NOT know > you AZ, tax dollars are going to these Illegals> as tax payers we have All just paid for one man to not only have major back surgery $$$ NOT one but 2 new hips $140000.00 min, out of OUR tax payers pockets did we hurt this man NO can WE afford this for our ouved ones NO! it's got to STOP somewhere.......

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TheOldPerfessor | Oct 29, 2010, 11:02 AM EDT

It's well known that she is surrounded by people making big bucks from Arizona McPrisons. If they actually arrested 10% of the illegal aliens in that state, the courts would be so overloaded that prisoners would die of old age before going to trial. They passed a bill years ago that addressed the source of the problem - greedy businessmen who fund the illegal population. It didn't get a lot of enforcement - not sexy enough for Sheriff Joe to go after. This is basically a political stunt to solidify the Republicans' position as the White Man's party. Like they needed help in this.

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macstwo | Oct 29, 2010, 10:35 AM EDT

O'Doherty, are you nuts," shockenly anti-immigration bill", illegal immigrants are criminals, they should be treated as such, problem is illegal immigration probably has no effect on your life, it has a devistating effect on the people of AZ, so save you left wing liberal blatherings, try thinking like a normal human being.

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1661996usmc | Oct 29, 2010, 10:25 AM EDT

She's a republican, isn't she? Thats what they do.

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Fran Connor | Oct 29, 2010, 10:19 AM EDT

NPR should talk! (See George Soros. See Juan Williams.)

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rcrdskpr@aol.com | Oct 29, 2010, 10:19 AM EDT

it is choose, not chose. you call yourself a "writer", but cant get the headline correct? npr? get real. i bet they think sheriff joe arpaio takes money from RIT for pink dye for the inmates underware also. odoherty, stick to irish issues, if you know anything about them.

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torbreezy | Oct 29, 2010, 10:18 AM EDT

I'd urge your looking up the words "principals" and "principles" BEFORE using either of these words in print again.

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PhlutiePhan | Oct 29, 2010, 10:17 AM EDT

Once again, your comments are far to the left of "Attila the Nun". It is obvious where you are going and where you have come from. It's called "world socialism" in a world where radical Islam is only an antithesis to a present thesis for which you, from your penthouse view, will create a synthesis.

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DLW12183 | Oct 29, 2010, 10:15 AM EDT

Can't trust far left NPR and now Irish Central is in the loo with them.

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knockatee | Oct 29, 2010, 09:41 AM EDT

Ubelievable and these are patriotic Americans. Unfortunately, I think many people will still be fooled and vote for these people on Tuesday. By the way, it's "principles" not "principals" in your heading of this story.

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