The privatization of immigration
by Julio Ricardo Varela
It is an extremist’s most exciting dream: set up a powerful lobbying group in Washington that unites the country’s top private jails and anti-immigrant legislators, have a few meetings to draft the law that would eventually be known as Arizona SB 1070, spread that law to other states to pass copycat bills, and have those private jails incarcerate those (mostly Latino) illegal immigrants to the tune of $5 billion in revenue.
Sounds like a typical liberal scare story, right?
Actually, no. This story is real. Illegal immigration has gone corporate, and the money involved can entice anyone who places the Almighty Dollar above the pain and suffering of human beings.
Enter Cuéntame, a group of “Latino Instigators” with close to 54,000 fans on Facebook. As their mission statement reads:
“Through short video, docu-series, interviews from our studio, the streets, or sent to us by you, we unite voices