12 January 2026
By Chris Kromm
Contributing Writer
(Facing South) — U.S. Border Patrol’s high-profile immigration crackdowns in North Carolina and Louisiana over the last two months have brought fresh scrutiny to the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on immigration raids and arrests under the Trump administration.
The massive spending bill pushed by Trump and passed by Congress this summer increased immigration enforcement by $170 billion, part of a broader push to reach the administration’s goal of deporting 1 million immigrants each year.
The new round of immigration spending includes $75 billion over four years for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on top of the $10 billion the agency had already been allocated for 2025. The bill also gave $65 billion more to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which had already received $20 billion for fiscal year 2025.
While CBP and ICE, which both operate under the Department of Homeland Security, are responsible for immigration matters, Border Patrol has emerged as the leader in Trump’s anti-immigration crusade in recent months, according to immigration reporter Nick Miroff of The Atlantic. Under the bombastic leadership of Gregory Bovino, who grew up in western North Carolina, CBP has led a series of high-profile and militarized operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, and New Orleans that have sparked widespread backlash due to their heavy-handed tactics and violations of due process.
Helping carry out Border Patrol and ICE’s immigration operations are an army of private contractors who have seen their fortunes soar as federal money has flowed into enforcement activities.
In the wake of the major operations in Louisiana and North Carolina, Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies collected and analyzed data from USASpending.gov on more than 50 businesses headquartered in those states who are receiving CBP and ICE contracts for fiscal years 2025-2026. The contracts for companies based in Louisiana and North Carolina total more than $341 million.
In Louisiana, where Border Patrol’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch” is still underway, there are fewer contractors, but the total awards to companies based in the state is much larger.
Facing South/Institute analysis of contracting data finds 16 Louisiana-based companies receiving contracts from CBP and ICE in fiscal years 2025-2026. The current value of those awards is $50.3 million, but the total potential value is listed at $263.2 million for the state.
Topping the list are two companies which stand to bring in more than $208 million making emergency detention centers for ICE. LaSalle Corrections, which manages 18 private correctional facilities in Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, received a contract worth up to $125 million to build a new detention center. The company has a checkered history: In 2023, LaSalle agreed to a $7 million settlement over a wrongful death lawsuit, and the ACLU of Louisiana has frequently battled with the company over forced hysterectomies of ICE detainees and other alleged rights abuses.
Lemoine Disaster Recovery, LLC – a building and disaster services company headquartered in Lafayette, La. – was awarded a contract worth up to $83.8 million, also to build an emergency ICE detention facility.
Another major contract went to People Who Think, LLC – a marketing and political consulting firm founded by Republican political advisor Jay Connaughton. The firm’s $25 million contract is earmarked for an ICE recruitment campaign. Gulf South Research Group, based in Baton Rouge, pulled in several contracts totaling $21.6 million for environmental assessments and planning, including projects related to the border wall.
This article originally published in the January 12, 2026 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.