The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against a private prison company facing a lawsuit alleging migrant detainees were forced to work for only $1 per day.
In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the justices determined that The GEO Group, which is based out of Florida, is not immune from the lawsuit. The ruling could pave the way for other lawsuits from migrants held at private for-profit detention centers, though it is not a final decision on the case itself.
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The lawsuit, originally filed in 2014, claims migrant detainees in Aurora, Colorado, were forced to perform unpaid janitorial work and other tasks for minimal pay. The GEO Group argued it was immune from such lawsuits because it is a government contractor. A lower court judge disagreed, and after the company appealed, the Supreme Court declined to side with the prison operator.
For-profit prison companies such as The GEO Group have earned billions of dollars since former President Donald Trump’s push to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. GEO Group Executive Chairman George Zoley called 2025 the “most successful year for new business wins in our company’s history.”
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An investigative series by Scripps News, ICE Inc., has uncovered complaints of inadequate medical care, understaffing and overcrowding at some for-profit detention centers.
