During a House Republican gathering in Doral, Florida, President Donald Trump suggested the possibility of sending repeat U.S. offenders to international prisons as a cost-effective alternative to housing them in U.S. jails.
“Let them be brought to a foreign land and maintained by others for a very small fee as opposed to [being] maintained in our jails for massive amounts of money including the private prison companies that charge us a fortune,” the president remarked.
He added, “We also have many violent criminals in our country, however, that did not necessarily come here illegally but have been arrested 30 times.” He emphasized, “I don’t want these violent, repeat offenders in our country any more than I want illegal aliens from other countries who misbehave.”
Trump took the opportunity to highlight his recent deportation actions. “300 people sitting in a plane. Every one of them either a murderer, a drug lord, a kingpin of some kind, the head of the mob, or a gang member,” he said. With a touch of humor, he joked, “If you’re flying that plane … It’s not gonna end well.” He also mentioned that he was “seeking permission” for approval.