Supreme Court to Review Lawsuit Against Private Prison Company
The Supreme Court has decided to hear a case involving a private prison company, the GEO Group, which is facing a lawsuit in Colorado. The lawsuit alleges that immigration detainees were forced to work for as little as $1 a day.
A lower court had previously allowed the lawsuit to progress, stating that detainees performed unpaid janitorial work and other low-paying jobs simply to afford basic meals. The GEO Group argues that the lawsuit is part of a broader effort against federal immigration policy and insists that their pay rates conform to existing regulations set by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The company asserts that since they operate their facility on behalf of the government, they should be immune from such legal actions.
Detainee advocates insist that this lawsuit focuses on the unfairly low wages that migrants are paid, arguing that the contract does not mandate such minimal compensation.
The GEO Group, based in Florida, is a leading provider of private detention services in the U.S., operating approximately 98 facilities with a capacity of about 77,000 detainees. This case follows similar lawsuits in other states, including one in Washington where the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million.
As the Supreme Court reviews the case, the outcome may have significant implications for both private detention facilities and the treatment of immigration detainees in the U.S.
