Corporations given lucrative government contracts to carry out President Trump’s immigration agenda have contributed millions of dollars in campaign donations to Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm election.
A Scripps News review of Federal Election Commission records shows The GEO Group, the nation’s largest owner of immigration detention centers, is also one of the biggest corporate donors supporting Republicans this midterm election.
A GEO subsidiary, GEO Reentry Services LLC, has contributed $4.4 million dollars to MAGA Inc. a super PAC supporting President Trump.
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Companies will sometimes make campaign contributions through a subsidiary that is itself not a federal contractor to avoid violating an FEC rule that bars contractors from giving to candidates and political committees, said Brendan Fischer, director of strategic investigations at the Campaign Legal Center.
“We think that's a really big problematic loophole in the law,” Fischer said. “The reason that federal contractors are prohibited from making political contributions is to prevent pay to play in the contracting process.”
The GEO Group donated through its subsidiary as the company reports record revenue tied to President Trump’s administration reopening profit-detention immigration centers closed during President Biden’s term.
“Last year was the most successful period for new business wins in our company’s history,” GEO Group Chairman and CEO George Zoley told investors during a public quarterly financial update in August.
The GEO subsidiary has also given $1.3 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC focused on keeping the GOP’s majority in Congress.
GEO Group did not respond to questions about its 2026 campaign spending.
FEC records show political action committees for both GEO Group and CoreCivic, the second largest operator of ICE detention centers, are also contributing directly to dozens of Republicans on the ballot.
Several recipients are incumbent lawmakers who sit on committees that set DHS spending levels or have immigration oversight power.
Both GEO Group and CoreCivic PACs have given the maximum allowed $10,000 contribution to Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, who is the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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The PACs have also donated to Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Ashley Moody, a Florida Republican who sits on both the judiciary and homeland security committees.
The PACs are also giving to the Republican National committee and two main congressional committees working to elect GOP members. GEO Group's PAC has already donated three times as much money to those three committees compared to the 2024 election, the Scripps News analysis of FEC records showed.
A CoreCivic spokesperson responded to questions with a statement that said the company supports candidates and elected officials who understand the “limited but important solutions” the company can provide to address national challenges.
“Our political engagement is focused on educating policymakers about those solutions and the services we provide,” the statement said.
While major corporations often donated to both Democrats and Republicans, GEO Group and CoreCivic’s support overwhelmingly is going to Republicans.
CoreCivic’s spokesperson pointed to Democrats refusing to accept donations from certain businesses. Democrats have called for shuttering immigration detention centers.
“Political contributions from the private prison industry have become politically toxic for Democrats,” Fischer said. “I think it's very likely just a pure business decision that they see Republicans as being more beneficial to their financial interests. With many federal contractors, they don't see red and blue, they see green.”
