A total of $12 million in donations has been identified in connection with CoreCivic, Palantir, GEO Group, NANA Regional, and CSI Aviation, among the companies profiting most from operations run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

An investigation conducted by the Emancipator covers political spending since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.

These firms develop the software that ICE uses to target migrants.

They also charter the aircraft used to deport migrants to other countries and run the large detention centres where migrants are held.

The donations detailed appear to be legal. By law, federal contractors cannot contribute directly to political campaigns.

However, they can still influence electoral races through individuals in their employ and affiliated political action committees (PACs).

Previous reporting noted that several of these companies had lobbied for legislative bills supporting ICE spending.

The Emancipator revealed that while these firms primarily donated to back Republicans, they also steered funds to Democrats.

In some instances, these money flows took place in states with contested congressional and Senate races where the companies own or operate detention facilities.

To trace the political money flows, the Emancipator used a company list based on earlier reporting by The Project on Government Oversight.

It then independently reviewed affiliated PACs and federal campaign contribution records linked to company executives.

According to the Emancipator’s findings, at least 10 executives connected to ICE-linked firms, including some former executives, directed more than $9.7 million in political contributions since 2025.

For example, Allen Weh, the chief executive of CSI Aviation, donated more than $250,000. The company is the primary entity behind the majority of ICE deportation flights.

Weh’s contributions went to bodies such as the Republican National Committee and “Our Values”, a Republican-aligned super PAC.

Weh also contributed to the campaigns of Republican Senate candidates, including Jon Husted in Ohio and Thomas Cotton in Arkansas.

More than $2.5 million flowed over the past two years from CoreCivic, one of the largest private detention operators in the US, which runs 23 ICE facilities.

This money represents political spending reported in campaign finance filings and Section 527 disclosures on behalf of a PAC and company-affiliated executives.

According to a 527 filing, CoreCivic directed $675,000 to the Republican Governors Association over the past two years. During the same period, CoreCivic also contributed $330,000 to the Democratic Governors Association.

Governors hold significant authority over detention facilities and state legislation, and these groups channel support to governors aligned with their respective parties.

CoreCivic sent $135,000 to the Republican State Leadership Committee, the nation’s largest organization supporting down-ballot Republican state politicians.

Just over $200,000 was channelled through CoreCivic’s PAC.

Tracking records show the PAC directed its largest contributions to jurisdictions where it operates facilities, including Georgia, where it runs an ICE facility; Texas, where it operates seven; and Tennessee, where the company is headquartered.

CoreCivic’s PAC gave the maximum allowable contribution of $5,000 to both US Senate and House campaigns in Montana, Virginia, and Arizona.

Recipients of the PAC’s funding included Michael Whatley’s Senate campaign in North Carolina, as well as Republican-aligned PACs such as the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Fund for America’s Future, and Texas First.

CoreCivic donated $5,000 to the campaign of Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Collins faced fierce criticism on immigration, even though Maine recently enacted state-level “ICE Out of Maine” legislation.

CoreCivic executives also donated directly to candidates.

Lucibeth Mayberry, the current chief executive of CoreCivic, made a modest $500 donation to support Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in his bid for re-election.

Meanwhile, former chief executive Damon Hininger donated more than $1 million. Over the past two years, Hininger sent roughly $660,000 to the Republican National Committee and more than $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Palantir, a provider of data platforms used by ICE across the country, channelled roughly $8.3 million to politicians across the political spectrum and throughout the nation through executive spending and its PAC.

The vast majority of this political spending, over $8 million, came from the company’s executives.

Federal election records show that over the past few years, Palantir co-founder and board chairman Peter Thiel donated just over $3.2 million to Republican-leaning campaigns, candidates, and political action committees.

Chief executive Alex Karp also gave more than $1.9 million in total, largely to back Republican candidates, while contributing to Democratic campaign funds as well.

Weeks before Abigail Spanberger’s election as governor of Virginia, Karp donated $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia.

GEO Group, which operates private prisons and detention facilities, runs 28 ICE facilities in states such as Texas, Georgia, and California.

At least two of these facilities are situated in the swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Senior company executives and an affiliated PAC directed roughly $1.5 million nationwide so far during Trump’s second term.

More than half of this sum was routed through the firm’s PAC, while about a quarter of a million dollars came from executives.

GEO Group founder and chief executive George Zoley holds several dozen campaign receipts showing total contributions of $210,000 to various Republican campaigns.

NANA Regional Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation, profits by selling security services to ICE.

This entity spent the smallest amount. Over the past few years, NANA’s PAC channelled just over $50,000 to politicians and political groups.

Records for company executives and 527 accounts showed no notable political spending.

It has emerged that Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost the presidential election in Brazil, left the country for Argentina accompanied by a former operative of Israel’s foreign intelligence service, Mossad.

According to a report by CNN Brasil citing an investigation conducted by Brazilian authorities, the former Israeli agent, who later obtained US citizenship, entered Brazil on 19 October and accompanied Bolsonaro as he departed the country following his electoral defeat.

Records show that the former agent was in the same vehicle as the Brazilian politician while crossing the Argentine border on 27 October.

Brazilian authorities believe that Bolsonaro’s departure was organized with the support of Buenos Aires and Washington.

Citing investigative findings, CNN Brasil reported that Bolsonaro left Brazil for Argentina alongside his wife and two daughters in two minivans.

Agencies investigating the politician’s departure established that security cameras captured the vehicles crossing the Tancredo Neves Bridge on the border between the two countries.

The television network noted that the drivers were identified because they presented their passports upon entering Argentina.

A former member of the municipal council of the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu was driving the minivan carrying Bolsonaro, while that former council member’s son was driving the family of the former presidential candidate.

In the Argentine border city of Puerto Iguazu, Bolsonaro boarded an aircraft belonging to the Argentine airline Baires Fly together with his wife and daughters.

After a refuelling stop in Ecuador en route, the plane landed in Miami on the morning of 28 October.

According to data from Brazilian authorities, the operation was carried out with the assistance of at least two countries.

Officials leading the inquiry believe Bolsonaro received backing during the final phase of the election’s second round.

Brazilian government representatives said this support constituted “assistance from the governments of Argentina and the US.”

Investigative bodies believe Bolsonaro’s departure was not organized at the last minute, but was instead an extensive international operation codenamed “Operation Alba”.

Election defeat, revoked passports, and US entry permit

Bolsonaro was defeated by current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election, held on 25 October.

After the results were announced, Bolsonaro declared that he did not recognize the outcome of the vote and left Brazil.

In an open letter published on the social media platform X on 28 October, Bolsonaro described himself as the “president-elect”, though he later deleted that version and shared a new post proclaiming himself the country’s “leader”.

Meanwhile, media reports suggested that US President Donald Trump was not inclined to recognize Bolsonaro as Brazil’s leader, while also mentioning the possibility that the Brazilian politician could be granted an expedited green card.

The Reuters news agency reported that Bolsonaro made the decision to travel to the US at the last minute, after a Brazilian Supreme Court justice revoked all of his passports.

Law enforcement agencies are investigating Bolsonaro’s potential links to two separate money-laundering schemes.

A source speaking to Reuters claimed that Jason Miller, an adviser to Trump who is close to the Bolsonaro family, helped organize the flight from Argentina.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also advised President Donald Trump to permit the Brazilian politician to enter the country, a recommendation Trump accepted.

Bolsonaro and his family were subsequently granted temporary entry permission on humanitarian grounds.

Rubio, however, denied allegations that the US government played a direct role in Bolsonaro’s departure from Brazil.

Stating that the Brazilian politician held a visa and that Trump had decided to permit his entry, Rubio maintained that US authorities took no part in organizing the travel.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, the father of Flavio Bolsonaro, remains imprisoned in Brazil in connection with a case concerning an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 election.

The younger Bolsonaro had promised that his first act upon winning the election would be to free his father from prison.

During his presidency, Jair Bolsonaro was commonly referred to as the “Trump of the Tropics”.

The US Congress is unlikely to approve the Donald Trump administration’s record $1.5 trillion defence budget request for the 2027 fiscal year.

According to a report by The Washington Post citing congressional sources, budget negotiations have stalled due to cross-party disagreements.

Roughly 30 US lawmakers interviewed by the newspaper said that defence policy and spending bills had reached an “impasse” following the total collapse of bipartisan consensus and personal friction between members of Congress and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Trump administration aims to divide the requested funding into two tranches, seeking support from a portion of Democrats for an initial $1.15 trillion package while pushing through a second $350 billion portion solely with Republican votes.

According to the report, Republicans have failed to secure even internal consensus to pass this second $350 billion package.

The US defence budget for 2026 stands at approximately $1 trillion, which includes a one-off allocation of $150 billion approved by Congress last year for priority objectives ranging from the development of advanced weapons systems to incentivising the American defence industry.

The new budget requested by the administration foresees a 40% increase in defence spending, covering funding for new weaponry and replenishing stocks of precision-guided missiles expended during the war with Iran.

Defence Secretary Hegseth also asked Congress to allocate an additional $67 billion for military operations, including the conflict with Iran.

The Washington Post noted that lawmakers have very limited time to resolve the crisis, as only 20 working days remain for Congress before the end of the year.

Bill for Middle East military operations mounts

The US proposed that defence spending be taken into account when allocating privileges within NATO.

According to a report by The Hill based on a US Central Command (CENTCOM) assessment, Washington’s expenditure on military operations targeting Iran has risen by more than $3 billion over the past month, reaching $47 billion.

The CENTCOM document indicates that munitions procurement constitutes the largest share of military spending at $29 billion.

Additional costs tied directly to conducting combat operations amount to roughly $12 billion, while $6.1 billion is needed to replace lost military equipment and hardware.

Expenditures for supporting personnel deployed to the region, air transport, communications, and logistical transit in the theatre of operations are calculated at $7.6 billion.

Expenses required to repair and rebuild US military bases in the Middle East were not included in this official cost breakdown.

In July, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a $1.15 trillion defence budget bill by a margin of just 216 votes to 212.

Six Democratic lawmakers voted in favour of the bill, while seven Republican lawmakers voted against their own party.

The Washington Post had previously reported that the Pentagon faced a severe funding shortfall.

The White House had requested an urgent $67 billion from Congress to cover military spending.

The newspaper noted that if lawmakers failed to act, the military would soon be forced to make far more painful concessions.