It is a well-known fact that the U.S. makes up 5 percent of the world's population, and even while considered the leader of freedom and democracy, it has 25 percent of the world's total prison population. Within that 25 percent are immigrants who are imprisoned for attempting to re-enter the country after being deported.
Even as the number of individuals attempting illegal re-entry has steadily declined, surprisingly, the sentences for illegal re-entry have increased by more than 70 percent according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC). Only 26 percent of all types of federal cases reported to the USSC were illegal re-entry cases. These cases contribute to the $39 billion taxpayers spend on prisons each year — prisons that are increasingly operated by private companies.