The two largest for-profit owners of immigration detention centers are reporting the first dip in the number of detained immigrants since President Trump resumed office.
CoreCivic and the GEO Group have each seen a decline of about 3,000 detainees since reaching peak levels in January, leaders of the companies reported this week during first quarter earnings calls.
They said the drop in population followed the leadership shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security when President Trump fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
They also pointed to the long partial government shutdown, when ICE reassigned agents to work in airports to help relieve TSA personnel who had been working without pay for weeks.
Both companies said they expect the detained immigrant population to bounce back within months.
“We believe this decline is temporary and event specific,” said Patrick Swindle, chief executive officer of CoreCivic. “While we cannot predict how quickly population growth will resume, the administration continues to indicate a strong emphasis on border security and active ICE enforcement. “
CoreCivic and GEO Group still saw major revenue growth during the first quarter of 2026, largely from ICE contracts.
CoreCivic’s revenue is up 25 percent compared to a year ago. GEO Group’s earnings rose 17 percent.
GEO Group announced a new $60 million government contract to help ICE pinpoint the location of suspected undocumented immigrants, a process known as skip tracing.
ICE has also more than doubled the number of immigrants using GEO Group’s ankle monitor tracking technology.
The earnings calls revealed ICE is in talks to buy 10 turnkey private detention centers, rather than leasing them.
GEO Group CEO George Zoley told investors it is a move to insulate ICE from oversight in blue states and a growing number of lawsuits filed by detainees.
"There has been litigation regarding overseeing medical services, food services, general cleanliness, etc and it’s really unprecedented,” Zoley said.
The Scripps News ICE Inc. yearlong investigation continues to uncover reports of inadequate medical care at private detention centers across the country.
Deaths of detainees in ICE custody have reached a record high.
ICE purchased 11 warehouses across the country to convert into detention centers, a project that has stalled.
“The warehouse project has been paused and DHS is evaluating how to proceed to consolidate detention capacity,” Zoley said.
