GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, has seen stock prices rise significantly since Donald Trump's election, fueled by increased investment in immigration detention. Despite its financial success, GEO refuses to pay detainees more than $1 a day for work, even after a 2021 federal ruling supported the state's minimum wage law in a lawsuit against them. Currently back in court, GEO has hired outside cleaners, preventing detainees from earning money through work. This legal situation highlights broader implications for how detainees are treated in private facilities, particularly as ICE detainee numbers rise in the U.S.
Despite making a fortune off immigration detention, GEO Group refuses to comply with fair wages for detainees, arguing against state minimum wage laws.
The legal battle between GEO and Washington has implications beyond just one facility, potentially affecting how detainees are treated nationwide in private prisons.
As the number of ICE detainees in private facilities rises, the costs of complying with minimum wage laws could challenge the profitability of GEO.
Detainees at GEO's Tacoma facility are being deprived of the opportunity to earn money, as contract cleaners take over jobs that used to be done by detainees.
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