Kamala Harris once pledged to close private migrant detention centers

Kamala Harris once pledged to “absolutely” close all private immigration detention centers “on day one” if she became president, according to a video obtained by The Post.

The newly surfaced clip shows then-Senator Harris (D-CA) responding to a question during a town hall meeting in Iowa City in October 2019, when she was running for president in 2020.

“I want to know, if you become president, would you commit to closing the immigration detention centers?” the attendee asked.

Harris replied: “Absolutely, on day one. On day one.”

According to agency statistics, there are currently about 37,000 migrants in ICE custody across the country, nearly half of whom are being held in private facilities operated by the agency.

Statistics show that as of July 2024, some 15,000 migrants were held in 18 private detention facilities.

The Biden administration’s policy is aimed at prioritizing the capture of the greatest threats to the country as authorities grapple with record numbers of arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border and a shortage of detention space.

Of the more than 37,000 migrants currently in ICE custody, more than 10,000 are convicted criminals, while another 4,000 face criminal charges, according to data from the agency.

At the rally in Iowa City, Harris recounted a visit to one of Florida’s privately run detention centers housing migrant children.

“This means that their business model is based on people making profit by locking up other people,” the Democrat said.

“I will close them down on day one. This is not how our tax money should be spent.”

Private detention centers are often owned by security companies, including GEO Group and Corecivic, both publicly traded organizations that invest in prisons and mental health facilities.

Harris, now the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, has not yet officially announced her specific policy agenda should she win the November election.

A spokesman for Harris’ campaign did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.

As vice president, Harris was appointed by President Biden to act as “border czar” and address illegal migration from Central America.

She has faced attacks from her opponent, former President Donald Trump, over her behavior at the border, which has seen record numbers of illegal border crossings under the Biden administration.

In 2018, Harris compared ICE agents to the KKK while questioning Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, Ronald Vitiello.

In response to the movement to “abolish ICE,” Harris in 2018 also called on lawmakers to “critically rethink” ICE and “start from scratch,” saying that “there’s a lot wrong with the way the agency conducts itself.”

Since entering the 2024 race, Harris, 59, has vowed to take a tough stance on the border, despite her past statements and the record number of illegal border crossings during her time in office.

“I was attorney general of a border state. I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels, the human traffickers,” Harris said Friday in Arizona.

“I have prosecuted them in case after case and won, so I know what I am talking about.”