You would expect a CEO of border security corporation to have been delighted with Trump’s border policies, so why did they end up favoring the Democrats in the 2020 election? https://twitter.com/TNInstitute/status/1362016448516816897

I worked on this report with @memomiller and our research showed that of the $40 million in campaign contributions by 13 leading border security corporations, 55% went to Democrats and 45% to Republicans.

Part of the answer is that the industry while favoring Republicans has always sought to donate to both parties in order to maintain a so-far bipartisan consensus in favor of border militarization and immigration detention.

The swing to the Democrats is also an example of the industry hedging their bets in an election year. Our research shows that every four years, the industry tends to spread its largesse more equally between the parties to ensure influence regardless of election outcome.

In the 2020 election, it might also have been an attempt to attempt to influence the party most likely to change policies that could affect their profits. Trump didn’t need industry pressure to be racist and anti-immigrant. It was integral to his white nationalist agenda.

But perhaps also they favored Democrats because the racist agenda of Trump – and the brutality it exposed – was actually bad for the border business. Because it exposed the inhumane and deadly consequences of borders and had prompted an unprecedented movement of resistance.

The truth is that border industry doesn’t want us to see human consequences of their work. Biden’s call for ‘smart walls’, an expansion of technological surveillance, is far better than Trump's 'wall' as it is more hidden in the abuses it creates & more lucrative in profits.

The industry also must derive security that Biden has not threatened to tackle any critical pillars of border militarization such as the deadly 1994 Prevention through Deterrence policy adopted under Clinton nor committed to fundamental reform and/or abolition of ICE or CBP

This is why we should we be cautious in expecting significant changes from Biden without ongoing public pressure. The industry is deeply embedded within Congress and the government, most of all within the Department of Homeland Security.

But that doesn’t mean change is impossible. Mass movements forced Biden to announce end to for-profit detention centers. Movements to push Democrats to cut ties with fossil fuel industry have also gained traction. We need similar movement to cut ties with the border industry.

For more information, check out https://www.tni.org/en/bidensborder  and https://www.tni.org/en/morethanawall as well as @afsc_org great Investigate database https://investigate.afsc.org/borders  and support @ConMijente #NoTechforICE campaign https://notechforice.com/