Cory Booker's new immigration would replace private detention centers with 'evidence-based non-profit alternatives'


Executive action for executive action. That's how Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) plans to address immigration reform if he's elected to the Oval Office in 2020.
Booker unveiled his immigration plan on Tuesday. While his vision is bold, many of the steps he would take to address the issue align with those favored by his Democratic primary contenders, including shutting down "inhumane" Department of Homeland Security facilities, reversing President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, reforming Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and addressing root causes by working with regional partners in Central America. He'd also phase out the use of private, for-profit migrant detention centers over a three-year period, which reportedly account for roughly two-thirds of all beds in the detention system. That would significantly reduce space, but Booker would adopt "evidence-based non-profit alternatives" to detention to counteract that. The plan does not detail the alternatives.
Booker does not shy away from how he'd get this done. Right at the top of the plan's first page, in big, bold print, are the words "Cory Booker Won't Wait for Congress." Instead, as president, Booker says he'll take swift, decisive action beginning on his first day in the White House by signing executive orders to begin dismantling the policies espoused by the Trump administration regarding the southern border.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As Booker puts it, he's planning on countering Trump by using his own methods.
Read the plan at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
September 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants