Chicago March 18, 2025
President Donald Trump has sparked controversy with a proposal to pay foreign countries to imprison American repeat offenders. Speaking at a conference for House Republicans in Miami, Trump suggested that this plan would save the US government money on imprisonment costs.
“We’re going to get approval, hopefully, to get them the hell out of our country,” Trump said, referring to repeat offenders. “Let them be brought to a foreign land and maintained by others for a very small fee.” He claimed that this would allow the federal government to avoid spending “massive amounts of money” on US jails and private prisons, which he said “charge us a fortune”.
Trump emphasized that this proposal is separate from ongoing efforts to deport migrants living in the US illegally who have criminal records. However, he acknowledged that he would need to get approval for such a plan.
