By Craig Harris | The Arizona Republic
The federal government is giving the Pinal County city of Eloy a whole new definition for “easy money.”
Thanks to a unique contract that involves the largest private-prison operator in America, Eloy stands to receive about $438,000 this year simply by acting as a conduit for a new detention center for undocumented immigrants about 920 miles away in Dilley, Texas.
While Eloy’s city manager is pleased with the extra money, private-prison critics question the deal because the city essentially will be managing the contract for a Texas facility from afar.