That is an excellent question. The best theory I've seen is that there is money and kickbacks being passed around for these "detentions."

Meta: I am finding that it is very difficult to have an intelligent discussion about deeply stupid things. This leads to many posts about important and very interesting things occurring under the current US administration, getting flagged.

This seems like a form of HN kryptonite.

The us of a is addicted to/dependent on to the labor of illegal immigrants. None of this makes any sense to me unless it is to make illegal labor even cheaper/more precarious in the long run.

I think the cruelty is the point

> Wouldn't it make more sense to just send them to the home countries if that's the point anyway?

The point isn't to repatriate immigrants to their countries of origin. It's to inflict as much cruelty and suffering as possible to act as an example/deterrent for future would-be immigrants, and to encourage as-yet undetained immigrants to self-deport.

(I am not defending this policy, I think it's abhorrent)

One article I read said their home countries refused to accept them https://kagi.com/news#2025-07-16-11

Cruelty and for-profit prisons are the point. Recently, an Irishman overstayed his visa by 3 days and ICE grabbed his for 3 months because GEO Group makes money the longer he stayed with them. They fed him stuff worse than dogfood and threw his medication under the door on the ground.