Turning children’s misery into money

Former Trump chief of staff Kelly joins board of immigrant detention center company

BY Julia Conley, Common Dreams

It's what one critic deemed a “nauseating example of the revolving door” through which powerful political players often move in and out of the private sector.

Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly joined the board of a company which owns some of the largest detention centers for unaccompanied children who cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

CBS News reported Friday that Kelly is now a member of the board of directors for Caliburn International, which runs one immigrant detention center in Florida and three in Texas.

Before joining the Trump administration, Kelly served on the board of advisers for an investment firm (Geo Group) which now owns Caliburn. 


But critics said that  Kelly’s current involvement with Caliburn represents a blatant conflict of interest.

The company has received in government contracts at least $222 million to operate the detention centers between 2018 and 2019 — as the number of children held in U.S. custody skyrocketed —