What Role Will Private Security Play in Trump’s Mass-Deportations
CHARLOTTE NC
December 2, 2024
Private security agencies have partnered with the Federal Protective Services, Immigration and Naturalization, and Homeland Security for dozens of years to protect federal properties, staff, and visitors, and for at least a dozen years, they’ve also had a hand in guarding, transporting and protection of illegal immigrants.
Private security agencies have been hired for years to transport illegal migrants from Customs and Border Patrols to detention centers, hospitals, and processing facilities.
In fact, in 2021, The U.S. government was trying to privatize several security positions usually conducted by federal Customs and Border Protection agents for a program it wanted to roll out along the southwest border.
Customs and Border Protection was and still is looking for ways to use private security companies to replace agents and officers assigned to guard and transportation roles.
The agency said in papers filed both then and recently again that it wants to minimize the use of frontline agents for those duties.
Private security guards have replaced CBP officers and Border Patrol agents guarding people in custody at hospitals and courtrooms and also act as guards in transportation assignments.
Contractors are often seen along the southern border acting in several different capacities and are expected to have additional training including the knowledge of the government’s standards for use of force by CBP as well as transport and escort procedures.
If, as the President-Elect has indicated, a massive round-up and deportation operation takes place, private security personnel will be hired in the thousands to perform custodial duties mainly that of transportation and facility security.
With the inability of local, state, and federal law enforcement to staff employees for day-to- day duties, civilian employees nationwide have been hired as Community Service Officers, Civilian Accident Investigators, Parking Enforcement Agents, and Evidence Technicians.
Once again, an operation of this magnitude currently being planned by the Trump administration will need civilian security personnel to provide non-law enforcement services.
Currently, contracted private security in Arizona and Texas are armed and fulfill tasks that were previously planned in 2021.
It is feasible, that private agencies will be hired nationwide to provide similar services, and that Requests for Proposals have already been issued across the country.
Usually, to be chosen as a private contractor:
Businesses can sell to the federal government through the General Services Administration (GSA) by:
Registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) website
Providing the following information:
Taxpayer Identification Number
Contractor and Government Entity codes or NATO Commercial and Government Entity codes
Financial and banking information
North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes
Wait up to 10 business days for the registration to become active
Checking the status of the business on SAM.gov
The GSA is the federal government’s acquisition arm, connecting the private sector with federal agencies.
