We Investigated the Business of Borders (It’s bigger than you think!)
I’ve been an immigrant my entire adult life, in America, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
But here’s the truth: migration today isn’t just a political issue.
It’s a business.
Every time a border closes, a business opens.
Private detention centres earn billions. Visa-processing companies handle 100M+ applications. Defense contractors like Palantir and Northrop Grumman run surveillance systems and tracking databases.
The U.S. alone has spent $55 billion on private immigration contracts since the 90s.
Australia pays up to $500,000 per refugee per year to private companies.
Even rejections are monetised, travellers from India, Africa, and the UAE lost $76 million on Schengen visa fees in just two years.
Migration is no longer about who gets in. It’s about who gets paid.
And that raises the real question:
Why would anyone fix a system that makes money by staying broken?
In this video, we dive into:
The rise of the “migration-industrial complex”
How borders became a $50B+ industry
Why fixing the system would collapse it and what that means for the future
In Plain Sight is a show uncovering the business lessons, tech shifts, and global playbooks traditional media often misses. Each episode explores overlooked companies, untapped markets, and bold ideas shaping the future of nations through business and tech.
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