WASHINGTON (AP) — On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from a private prison company involved in a lawsuit in Colorado, which alleges that immigrant detainees were compelled to work for just $1 a day.
The GEO Group is appealing to the High Court following a judge’s refusal regarding the 2014 case, in which detainees reported having to perform unpaid cleaning duties and other jobs for minimal compensation to help with their meager meals.
The company contends that the lawsuit serves as a covert attempt to challenge federal immigration policies, asserting that its wage practices adhere to regulations set by immigration and customs enforcement.
According to them, immigrants operate the facility in Aurora, Colorado, on behalf of the government and therefore cannot be sued.
Immigration attorneys argue that the lawsuits primarily focus on individuals receiving extremely low pay for their labor, and that the contracts did not mandate such compensation.
A lower court judge permitted the case to proceed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled that it could not evaluate immunity claims prior to trial. GEO Group has presented to the Supreme Court that government contractors should be able to promptly appeal such matters.
Headquartered in Florida, GEO Group ranks among the leading private detention providers in the country, with roughly 77,000 beds across 98 facilities. This includes a contract for a newly established federal immigration detention center where Mayor Newark Las Baraca was arrested during a Protest in May.
Comparable lawsuits have also emerged on behalf of immigrant detainees in other regions, including a Washington State Incident that could see the company liable for over $23 million.
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Report contributed by Associated Press Writer Mike Catalini from Trenton, New Jersey.
Source: apnews.com