New York, NY, August 11, 2025 –  Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights filed a federal lawsuit seeking answers as to why the Trump administration funneled billions in taxpayer dollars to private prison executives for expansion of immigration detention while at the same time quietly dismantling a cheaper, community-based national program that returned a 100% appearance rate in immigration court without detention. 

The lawsuit follows the federal government’s refusal to provide public records in response to RFK Human Rights’ Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesting evaluation data of the Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP). 

CMPP was created by Congress in 2020 to help guarantee attendance at immigration court hearings without detention or surveillance. The program partnered with nonprofits and local governments to connect people in immigration proceedings with legal information, screening for human trafficking, and reminders of upcoming court dates. 

CMPP yielded high success rates, while avoiding the abuse, financial waste, and mismanagement of immigration detention. At the close of FY 2023, the government reported that 100% of CMPP participants attended their immigration hearings without detention or electronic surveillance, at a fraction of the cost to taxpayers. While detaining one adult immigrant costs more than $160 a day, community-based case management costs 90% less, as little as $14.05 a day.

But in March 2025, the Trump administration abruptly dismantled CMPP, shortly before rewarding some of its largest campaign and inauguration contributors a record-breaking increase in immigration detention funding, including billions earmarked for private prison companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic.

“Why did the Trump administration end a program that was 100% effective in guaranteeing immigration court appearance and 90% cheaper than immigration detention?” said Anthony Enriquez, VP of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at RFK Human Rights. “The simplest answer is the most plausible: it was rewarding its biggest political donors with billions in our tax dollars, the private prison executives that run immigration detention and who paid to play.”

“Instead of sharing information about CMPP’s success, the Trump administration tried to bury it – cutting off the program without any acknowledgement or justification,” said Medha Raman, Dale and James J. Pinto Fellow at RFK Human Rights. “We can’t move forward with real solutions for our immigration system until we have all the facts. The public deserves to know what works.”

RFK Human Rights’ initial FOIA request sought CMPP program data and performance metrics, evaluations of the program, and Congressional reports related to implementation and evaluation of the program. The FOIA was later amended to include records related to the termination of CMPP.

The lawsuit is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

About Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Working alongside grassroots partners in the U.S. and around the world, our teams of lawyers confront systemic problems through litigation and advocacy aimed at structural change. The U.S. Advocacy and Litigation team regularly represents people subjected to abuse in privately owned and operated immigration detention facilities. The team conducts “Know Your Rights” trainings for detained individuals; files federal lawsuits and civil rights complaints to stop medical neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and denial of due process at ICE jails; and advocates for public accountability through independent reports and media coverage.