President Donald Trump plans to expel millions of immigrants in the United States without proper documentation. Private military companies say they are available to help, for the right price.
In March 2025, Academi head Erik Prince put together a memo and logistics plan to help the Trump administration deport millions of people. He said that if the Trump administration wants to do deportations on that kind of scale, they will need help from private citizens.
“What that memo describes is how to do it in a legal, ethical manner to get people the due process they need before they’re deported,” he said.
The plan submitted reportedly included the use of private aircraft, processing camps on military bases, and deputizing private citizens to make arrests and reportedly carries a $25 billion price tag.
Prince insisted the proposal is not an idea for a “private army” but a plan to help the administration reach its goal of deporting 12 million people by next year.
PMC Duties
Private military contractors are very well-suited for such missions. Historically, private military contractors are much like security guards. When overseas, they staff checkpoints, watch prisoners, verify IDs, escort supply convoys, protect other soldiers, and escort VIPs on inspection tours.
These are just front-line duties. Contractors also work behind the scenes, mostly by training security forces and maintaining equipment.
Training is especially important in countries dealing with insurgencies. These militants constantly change tactics. Private military contractors, who deal with insurgents on a daily basis, pass on what they know to government soldiers. The stronger security forces are, the sooner everyone can go home, which is ultimately what everyone wants.
Advanced systems, like drones, help security forces spot hit-and-run ambush parties, one of the go-to insurgent strategies. During the fight, other advanced systems, like helicopters and smart missiles, give government forces an edge.
Small victories in small battles are a big deal. If government forces at least hold their own, insurgents have a hard time recruiting. So, if the government forces score a few consecutive victories, many insurgencies die out.
PMCs are also well-suited for projects like deportation assistance because they have the right mindset. Many private military contractors are former law enforcement officers. So, they know how to be nice, until it is time not to be nice.
PMC Dollars and Sense
Privatizing overseas security also makes sense financially, even though most private military contractors earn at least three times what regular servicemembers earn.
The cost savings come on the back end. Regular servicemembers are entitled to retirement benefits and, if they get hurt, injury benefits. Contractors, whether they are military contractors or Uber drivers, generally have no retirement benefits, or any other benefits for that matter. Additionally, when private military contractors are injured overseas, their injury compensation is privatized as well. More on that below.
Additionally, when a given project ends, like deportation assistance, the government ends the contract, and that is that. But regular servicemembers must be redeployed elsewhere. Even if that deployment is to a stateside facility with no action, they get paid the same amount of money, at least in most cases.
Contractors are also much more flexible than regular servicemembers. The Army, or other service branch, must carefully and diligently train men and women to perform certain jobs. But for PMCS, the DoD simply sends out RFPs (requests for proposals) with certain parameters. For example, in a deportation project, the DoD might want contractors who speak a certain foreign language, like Spanish.
Then, once again, when the mission ends, the DoD’s commitment ends as well. Contractors, like other gig workers, usually stay on standby until they are needed again.
Injury Compensation Available
If an injury, like a fall, occurs on the other side of a deportation escort mission on foreign soil, a Defense Base Act lawyer can usually obtain compensation, mostly lost wage replacement and medical bill payment.
The Defense Base Act applies if a private contractor, while in an overseas war zone, sustains a deployment-related injury. Let’s break down those components.
Private contractors include not only PMCS but also all other government-sponsored private workers who support U.S. interests abroad, such as Peace Corps volunteers.
“Overseas” usually means any non-U.S. territories. However, certain overseas U.S. possessions, such as Guam and Diego Garcia, also qualify under this provision. A “war zone” is any area that has any U.S. military presence, such as a Marine guard at an embassy.
A deployment-related injury is any injury with a nexus to the deployment. For example, if Tom goes for a Dos Equis while he is taking a break in Mexico and he’s caught in a drive-by shooting, he’s probably eligible for DBA benefits.
For more information about these benefits, contact Barnett, Lerner, Karsen, Frankel & Castro, P.A.