Deportation Surge and Its Effects on Detention Companies

Investigated in late 2005 by the Palm Beach Police Department for abusing underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein—the disgraced financier known for his plethora of connections with billionaires, presidents and princes—was already infamous long before American cameras caught up. Yet, when he died—officially of suicide, but there has been a widespread conspiracy asserting that there was a mass government intervention and cover-up—in federal custody in 2019, under the foggiest of circumstances, the world didn’t move on. If anything, the Epstein story became the conspiracy theory that almost everybody, left or right on the political spectrum, could agree on: something just wasn’t right. Thus, in President Donald Trump’s bid for a second term, it was promised that the lid—under his supervision—would blow right off. Yet five months in, what American constituents have gotten is not exactly the bombshell they were expecting. 

In the first few weeks of his second term, Trump made his promises abundantly clear: the Epstein Files would be released, the truth would come out, and the elites—particularly Democrats—would be exposed. In late February, Attorney General Pam Bondi took the baton of promises and ran with it, hosting a flashy press event with a binder labeled “Phase 1: Declassified,” with a room full of MAGA influencers holding various other binders labeled “The Epstein Files.” Yet, what she disclosed was predominantly rehashed, publicly available information—old court filings, flight logs and names that had been circulating online for years. “I can’t trust anything in the binder,” said Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s most vocal allies. This was the tipping point.

Still, many held out hope. Trump’s base is used to waiting for audits, sealed indictments and swamp drainings. Yet in July, another bombshell dropped. A memo quietly published by the DOJ and FBI made it official: that Epstein had died by suicide, that there was no ‘client list,’ and that no further files would be released “out of respect for victim privacy.” Dan Bongino, now a senior DOJ official, reportedly threatened to resign. Bondi tried to clean up the mess, insisting the memo was “the result of a careful review,” but Trump’s base wasn’t buying it. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to calm the waters, stating, “Some of the most trusted voices in the movement reviewed the files.” Trump, sensing the blowback, did what he typically does—he lashed out. On Truth Social, he went on the offensive, calling the Epstein coverage “a hoax” and blasting his critics as “troublemakers.” “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” he fumed. “...my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls---,’ hook, line, and sinker.” In typical Trump fashion, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for publishing a story that claimed he had sent Epstein a lewd hand-drawn birthday note featuring a woman with Trump’s signature scribbled under, depicting her pubic hair. The Journal stood by the story. Trump doubled down.

However, the frustration wasn’t just coming from Twitter. Former VP Mike Pence came out in support of a full file release. So did a bipartisan duo—Representatives Ro Khanna (D) and Thomas Massie (R)—who introduced legislation to force the DOJ to release every Epstein-related document within 30 days. Senator Ron Wyden (D) took it a step further, calling for an investigation into Epstein’s financial ties to a Trump mega donor. Even some of Trump’s most die-hard supporters began asking the question nobody in MAGA-world ever wants to ask: What if we were lied to?

Meanwhile, the optics of the situation keep getting worse. New photos have surfaced of Epstein at Trump’s 1993 wedding. Footage from Mar-a-Lago, showing the pair laughing and pointing at young women, has since gone viral again. And while Trump’s aides insist the images were “old news,” the court of public opinion wasn’t quite ready to move on. A Reuters/Ipsos poll 10 days ago (as of the day of writing) found 69% of Americans wanted the files released, and that 60% think the Trump Administration is hiding something. One commentator on Fox News put it bluntly: “The deep state excuse doesn’t cut it anymore. This was his DOJ.”

Where does that leave Americans?

In short, angry. What started as one of the biggest promises made by Trump to expose and torch the elite on the campaign trail has now, ironically, become a nightmare in political damage control. The Trump administration now finds itself in the awkward position of defending secrecy after campaigning on transparency. His base is restless. Congress is circling. Many claim that “it’s only a matter of time.”

Extemp Analysis by: Ian Cheng 

Question: Will President Trump be able to  deal with the Epstein files without hurting his political stance?

AGD: Any reference, even a funny one, to Trump could work. For example: the Trump administration setting up a Venmo system to pay off its debt, which could be tied to the intro using the line “But that’s not the only problem Trump faces.” Tread carefully on anything humorous related to Epstein’s charges, especially with adult judges. 

Background: Make sure to define briefly who Jeffrey Epstein is and why he’s relevant. Clearly explain Epstein’s tie to Trump and the president’s promise to release the files. Bring up the fact that the situation of releasing + not releasing the files is causing a lot of disapproval from both Democrats and Republicans. 

Answer: You could go either way, but I think no is the easier side. A possible thesis statement is: it doesn’t look like he can create an effective strategy. 

An evaluative substructure would be best: 

a) what needs to happen for Trump to shake/not shake off the fallout (in other words, what specific people want from Trump when it comes to the files) 

• Note: All of the a) subpoints will be very similar in this case, if not the same

b) whether or not the above is satisfied (what Trump has done, has it been effective or not) 

c) impact and how this answers the question 

1. Focus on diverting attention 

1. Politicians’ main point of focus is having “max transparency” about the files 

2. Trump has kept calling the files fake and has tried to bring other “issues” to light 

3. A possible analogy could be “he’s like a little boy avoiding his chores.” Trump doesn’t want to deal with the files head on, no signs that this will change. This makes him look weak and untrustworthy. 

2. Tangling himself into more issues 

1. Everyone wants Trump to cut to the chase about the files 

2. Instead, he filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for releasing a birthday card to Epstein over defamation 

3. Trump is chickening away from everything

3. Losing the trust of voters 

1. Voters disapprove of current handling and, just like politicians, want to see clarity, this is not good for his popularity 

2. Responses have been unsatisfactory, the DOJ stated that no more documents will be made public

3. GOP is going to lose a lot of support, harming Trump’s political stance 

Read more here:

• Staff, Washington Post

• Luke Broadwater, NYT

• Stephen Fowler, NPR

• Oliver O'Connell, The Independent

• Jason Lange, Reuters