Bank of America is taking a stand by ending all business relationships with businesses operating detention centers and Bank of America’s CEO, Brian Moynihan, is fully supportive.
What We Know:
- Bank of America’s decision to cut ties with businesses operating detention centers was made after a lot of its employers expressed their anger about the broader systematic issues regarding immigration.
- An example of the issues, according to USA Today, includes a group of lawyers reporting a lack of food, water, soap, and medical care inside a Border Patrol facility in Clint, TX, which is why the scrutiny over deplorable conditions at border detention camps has heightened.
- “We need to get immigration right,” Brian Moynihan said. “We need people in this country. We’re not creating people fast enough. The population is growing half the rate it was before the financial crisis. We’ll grow faster if we have more people.
- Bank of America made a statement, stating specifically why they are cutting ties., saying, “The private sector is attempting to respond to public policy and government needs and demands in the absence of long-standing and widely recognized reforms needed in criminal justice and immigration policies,” the statement read. “….it is our intention to exit these relationships.”
- And while some people are supportive and commend them for their decision, others aren’t. CoreCivic Inc, one of the major private prison operators that were partnered with Bank of America, doesn’t agree with Bank of America. They released a statement on Wednesday, denying Bank of America’s true intentions in their decision to cut ties with them, saying that their decision was all political.
- “Bank of America knows we care deeply about doing business in an ethical, responsible way, and that we have stepped up as a leader in helping address some of the most serious challenges facing our country.”
- Wayfair conducted something similar. Wayfair employees did a walkout after $200,000 worth of bedroom furniture was sold to Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS) for a 3,000-person detention camp in Carrizo Springs, TX.
Immigration issues have been a hot topic when Trump pushed a “zero tolerance” immigration policy, separating families in detention camps.
