Executive Branch States & Localities

Lawfare Daily: ‘Deportation, Inc.’ and the Rise of the Immigration Enforcement Economy

Tyler McBrien, Gauri Bahuguna, Setareh Ghandehari, Nayna Gupta, Paromita Shah, Jen Patja
Friday, December 19, 2025, 7:00 AM
Why does the government outsource the critical immigration enforcement functions?
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Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien sits down with SITU’s Deputy Director of Research Gauri Bahuguna, Detention Watch Network’s Advocacy Director Setareh Ghandehari, the American Immigration Council’s Policy Director Nayna Gupta, and Just Futures Law’s Executive Director Paromita Shah to discuss the rise of the immigration enforcement economy following the recent release of “Deportation, Inc.” a new video series from SITU and Lawfare. 

They talk about why the government outsources the critical immigration enforcement functions of deportation, interdiction, and detention to the private sector, and how this system evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry.

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Executive Branch States & Localities
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Tyler McBrien

Tyler McBrien

TylerMcBrien
tylermcbrien.com
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Tyler McBrien is the managing editor of Lawfare. He previously worked as an editor with the Council on Foreign Relations and a Princeton in Africa Fellow with Equal Education in South Africa, and holds an MA in international relations from the University of Chicago.
Gauri Bahuguna

Gauri Bahuguna

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Gauri Bahuguna is the deputy director of research at SITU.
Setareh Ghandehari

Setareh Ghandehari

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Setareh Ghandehari is the advocacy director at Detention Watch Network.
Nayna Gupta

Nayna Gupta

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Nayna Gupta is the Director of Policy at the American Immigration Council.
Paromita Shah

Paromita Shah

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Paromita Shah is the founding Executive Director of Just Futures Law.
Jen Patja

Jen Patja

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Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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