Two major organizations dedicated to electing Democrats have been caught accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from a company that heavily contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the very agency many Democrats are now loudly condemning.
According to campaign finance records reviewed by POLITICO, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association (DLGA) together received six-figure donations from CoreCivic, a Tennessee-based private prison company and ICE contractor. Both groups admitted they took the money, but their reactions couldn’t be more different.
The DLGA said it will donate the contributions to a pro-immigration organization and will no longer accept money from CoreCivic going forward. The DGA, on the other hand, decided to keep the cash. Because apparently money from ICE contractors is fine… as long as it’s helping elect Democrats.
This revelation comes as Democratic officials across the country have ramped up anti-ICE rhetoric following the fatal Minneapolis shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in January.
POLITICO also reported that a DLGA staffer emailed CoreCivic in November 2023 asking for a $50,000 donation for the 2024 election cycle. So while Democrats were publicly attacking immigration enforcement, behind the scenes they were still passing the donation bucket.
A DLGA spokesperson said the organization will donate any 2024–2025 CoreCivic contributions to the National Immigration Law Center and will stop taking money from the company altogether.
The DGA took a different approach. Its spokesperson defended keeping the money, saying the group “strongly condemns” the Trump administration’s immigration tactics and that the only way to stop them is by electing more Democrats.
“Every contribution to the DGA helps elect Democratic governors and none of them have any impact on policy decisions made by governors,” the spokesperson added. Which is a bold statement for a group whose entire purpose is influencing elections.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, the DGA’s chair and a potential 2028 presidential contender, has sharply criticized immigration officers since the shootings.
“They are operating with aggressive tactics that are not appropriate for law enforcement,” Beshear said, accusing ICE and Border Patrol of violating constitutional rights and using unlawful search practices. He added that he has “never seen a government agency push law enforcement to be as aggressive” as what he claims is happening with ICE.
Meanwhile, CoreCivic says it does not enforce immigration laws or decide who gets deported or released, stating it only provides detention facilities while individuals go through legal proceedings. In September 2025, the company announced new ICE contracts involving 3,593 detention beds that could generate nearly $200 million annually once fully operational.
CoreCivic also acknowledged that it donates to both parties, though it gave significantly more to Republicans than Democrats in 2024. Its only donation to a Democratic candidate that year was $2,500 to Georgia Rep. Sanford Bishop, while GOP candidates received a combined $62,000.
So while Democrats rail against ICE in public, their campaign arms were more than happy to accept money from an ICE contractor in private. Funny how principles tend to bend when campaign season rolls around.
At least now the contradiction is out in the open — and voters get to see who’s actually consistent and who’s just playing politics. In the end, transparency still wins, and the truth has a way of surfacing no matter how hard some try to bury it.
