The facts
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill, AB 1633, that imposes a 25% tax on the gross income of private detention facilities operating in the state and contracting with federal, state, or local entities. Newsom stated the policy is a pushback against President Donald Trump's immigration agenda and the privatization of federal enforcement. The revenue generated will fund a "Due Process for All Fund" for immigration-related services. The law is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2028. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow with Advancing American Freedom, expressed concern that the tax could lead the government to seek alternative, less suitable facilities or move operations to other states. He noted that California has eight privately operated ICE detention facilities. The bill was among 20 signed by Newsom, who also banned the use of "shock gloves" in enforcement activities. Newsom asserted that while California cannot dictate federal immigration policy, it can ensure activities within the state comply with California law.
Our take
Gavin Newsom, the preening fuckwit of Sacramento, just signed a bill that slaps a 25% tax on the gross income of private immigration detention centers. It’s his big, brave ‘pushback’ against Trump’s agenda, which in politician-speak means he’s found a way to look progressive while doing precisely fuck-all for another five years. The law doesn’t start until July 1, 2028, because Newsom is the kind of coward who declares war and then schedules the first shot for after he’s safely retired to a wine cave. What a prick. The revenue is supposed to go into a ‘Due Process for All Fund,’ which is bureaucrat for ‘a slush fund we can point to when asked what we’re actually doing.’ It’s a classic Newsom move: create a fee, give it a heartwarming name, and hope nobody notices you’ve just monetized your own impotence. He admitted California can’t dictate federal policy, so instead he’s taxing the middlemen and calling it a moral victory. It’s like trying to stop a bank robbery by fining the getaway car rental company. The state has eight of these private ICE facilities. This tax doesn’t shut them down; it just makes California a more expensive partner in human misery. Some legal dickhead from a conservative think-tank whined that the feds might just move operations to shittier, cheaper shitholes in other states. No shit, Hans. That’s the point. Newsom doesn’t want to stop the camps; he wants to make them someone else’s problem so he can keep his hands clean for the cameras. The bill was one of twenty he signed, including a ban on ‘shock gloves,’ as if outlawing a single toy from the torture toolbox absolves him of profiting from the whole fucking prison-industrial complex. This is the political equivalent of a vegan charging a ‘meat-eater surcharge’ at his barbecue joint. The policy is all vanity, no teeth - a tax that kicks in so far in the future it might as well be a promise written on toilet paper. It’s a performative, revenue-grubbing stunt from a governor who specializes in them. Absolute cunt. He’s not leading a resistance; he’s running a toll booth on the road to hell. The only thing this ‘bold action’ ensures is that by 2028, some accountant will be calculating a vig on human caging, and Gavin Newsom will be long gone, probably giving a speech about compassion.
