Claire Rodier explores the question of what immigration controls are for and who they serve. She provides a rare insight into the world of private security companies and their entanglements in political decision-making and legislative processes. Furthermore, she highlights the ideological function of militarization at the borders: how fear is exploited and migration is criminalized to derive both political and economic benefits. Using the example of asylum processing centers and the European border agency Frontex, it becomes clear that increasingly stringent border controls serve not only the purported purpose of surveillance and deterrence but also various economic interests. The business of xenophobia reveals surprising connections between migration policy considerations and private sector interests.