Major Bank Caves to Radical Activists in Shocking Reversal on ICE Contractors
Liberty Check
- Citizens Bank abandons ICE detention facility operators after months of far-left activist harassment
- Bank claims ‘business reasons’ but admits activists dragged them into political fight
- CoreCivic and GEO Group served federal government under both parties for over 40 years
Citizens Bank has buckled to radical activist pressure and severed financial ties with two major private prison operators that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite the bank’s insistence that the decision was purely financial.
The Rhode Island-based lender announced it will end its lending relationships with CoreCivic and GEO Group, two companies that have operated immigration detention centers under federal contracts for decades. While left-wing activists declared victory, Citizens Bank desperately tried to save face by claiming the move was driven by changing business conditions rather than political pressure.
“Over the past year, we have been targeted by several activist groups regarding our relationships with two private prison operators, CoreCivic and The GEO Group,” Citizens Bank admitted in a July 17 announcement. “To date, we have refrained from commenting directly given our commitment to maintaining client privacy. However, given recent developments, we feel it is appropriate to comment at this time.”
The bank noted that GEO has been a client since 2018 and CoreCivic since 2011. Both companies provide critical services under contracts with federal and state governments, including operating detention facilities for ICE to house individuals scheduled for deportation.
Citizens claimed it decided to end the relationships because recent federal purchases of correctional facilities have reduced the companies’ capital needs. The bank insisted the decision was driven by those business changes, not by concerns about the companies or their operations.
“Citizens has been disappointed that the activists have dragged it into what is largely a political matter,” the bank’s announcement continued. “Public characterizations of Citizens by activist groups, including as it relates to our commitment to immigrants and to communities, do not reflect who we are or the record we have built. Citizens is deeply committed to serving our customers, colleagues, and communities.”
The bank desperately highlighted its broader community investments, claiming it supports 140 nonprofit organizations serving immigrant communities, logged more than 265,000 employee volunteer hours last year, and provided $2 billion in community development financing.
In a statement, a CoreCivic spokesman stood firm, saying the company “is a lawful business that has served government partners at the federal, state and local levels, under administrations of both parties, for more than 40 years.”
“Our financial position is the strongest it has been in the company’s history and we value very much our diverse set of financial partners that help support the company’s capital needs,” the spokesman added.
“We remain focused on delivering safe, high-quality services for our government partners and delivering quality outcomes which is where we believe our emphasis should be.”
The move represents another example of corporate America caving to activist pressure rather than standing by lawful business partners that provide essential services to the federal government. CoreCivic and GEO Group have operated transparently under both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades, yet now find themselves targeted by the far left’s open-borders agenda.
Americans deserve better than watching banks abandon law enforcement partners under pressure from radical activists.
