Mass outrage over Donald Trump’s immigration policies have put increased focus on the corporations that profit off of immigrant detention and the politicians that take campaign money from them. As journalists like Alex Kotch have pointed out, even Democrats who say they oppose Trump’s deportation machine take money from the same businesses and banks that are cashing in on the president’s cruel policies.
As our new report shows, one of them is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
While Cuomo has been trying to position himself as a defender of immigrants and an opponent of Trump’s vicious policies, companies with close ties to Cuomo, and which have donated gobs of money to him, also rake in millions from renting out space to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
For example, RXR Realty and Blackstone Group take in more than $12.3 million per year from leasing to ICE. RXR Realty CEO Scott Rechler and his family, as well as LLCs controlled by the company, have donated at least $631,000 to Cuomo, while Blackstone Group senior advisor William Mulrow chairs Cuomo’s re-election campaign and is a former top aide.
The report also shows how Buffalo’s Howard Zemsky, a major Cuomo ally, earns $1.4 million yearly from his lease with CBP. Zemsky leads the Empire State Development, a public agency that oversees Cuomo’s economic development initiatives.
For further elaboration on all this and to see other findings, you can read the report here.
The report was the basis of a story by journalist Kate Aronoff that ran today in the Intercept. You can read Aronoff’s story here.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to find out what politicians in your area are profiting off of Trump’s immigration policies, be sure to register for our webinar training tonight at 9pm EST!