Behind the Money Companies reap $22bn from Trump’s immigration crackdown
Feb 25, 2026
Peter Andringa, a Financial Times visual investigations reporter who mapped contractors using government data and open-source sleuthing. He walks through the $22bn network of over 1,000 companies, the range from private prisons to charter airlines and tech firms, ties to political allies, safety and oversight concerns on deportation flights, and how public backlash and corporate decisions are reshaping the industry.
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Scale Of Private Sector Role In Deportations
- Over 1,000 private companies secured more than $22 billion in ICE and CBP contracts in the past year.
- Peter Andringa built this total from government data, interviews, flight tracking and satellite imagery showing rapid expansion after new funding.
CSI Aviation's Political Links And Big Payout
- CSI Aviation, a family-run New Mexico broker, was ICE's top contractor and received over $1bn for organizing charter deportation flights.
- Founder Alan Way is a major Trump donor and the company's hangar hosted a 2024 Trump rally, linking the firm to Trump's orbit.
Fisher Sand And Gravel's Border Wall Payoff
- Fisher Sand and Gravel, known for privately building sections of the border wall, received roughly $6.5bn in CBP contracts since Trump returned.
- Tommy Fisher's company rose to prominence after the Bannon-led crowdfunding wall effort in 2019–20.