Erik Prince, the Michigan-born former CEO of the controversial military contractor Blackwater, is pitching a sweeping plan to the Trump administration that would rely on private security forces and military bases to carry out mass deportations.
The proposal, which calls for processing camps and a fleet of aircraft to remove millions of undocumented immigrants, has raised alarms among civil rights advocates and immigration groups.
Prince, a Holland, Michigan native, is best known for founding Blackwater, the private military firm accused of war crimes in Iraq. He is also the brother of Betsy DeVos, the former U.S. secretary of education under Donald Trump.
The West Michigan DeVos family, one of the most powerful political donors in the country, has poured nearly $12 million into the 2024 election cycle to support conservative candidates and causes. The family also donated $2 million to America PAC, the political committee founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose “Department of Government Efficiency” is now gutting the federal government with little to no oversight.
The plan, outlined in a 26-page document obtained by Politico, envisions a network of temporary detention camps on U.S. military bases and the use of privately hired operatives to round up and deport 12 million people by 2026. The proposal claims the federal government is incapable of handling the operation alone and recommends outsourcing much of the work to contractors within Prince’s network.
Although it’s unclear whether the White House plans to embrace the proposal, it has been circulating among Trump allies since December, according to Politico. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration is reviewing “various options” for accelerating immigration enforcement but did not confirm if Prince’s plan was under serious consideration.
The plan is certain to stoke fears in immigrant communities, particularly in metro Detroit, where the potential for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns has already created widespread anxiety. The idea of contractors carrying out mass deportations with camps only stands to deepen the fear and uncertainty in neighborhoods like Southwest Detroit, where many families are of mixed immigration status.
Prince’s proposal also raises serious legal questions. It suggests deputizing 1,000 private citizens, including former law enforcement and military veterans, to carry out arrests. The plan would almost certainly face constitutional challenges.
The proposal also calls for bypassing traditional due process measures, replacing official court notices with an online database that would alert individuals of their hearings instead of requiring the government to notify them directly.
For the DeVos family, the political stakes in 2025 are high. Their history of bankrolling conservative causes has made them a major player in Republican politics.
Now that Prince is trying to inject himself into Trump’s immigration plans, new concerns are being raised about the family’s outsized influence.
As fears of deportation spread in Michigan, immigration advocates are urging people to know their rights. If approached by ICE, individuals are not required to answer questions or open their doors without a warrant signed by a judge. Advocates recommend that families have emergency plans in place, including legal representation and essential documents ready.
“No matter your immigration status in the United States, you have constitutional rights — very clearly you do,” Ruby Robinson, managing attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said at a news conference in late January. “Please stay informed.”
