Supreme Court Rejects GEO Appeal in Detainee Labor Case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday against The GEO Group, a major private prison operator, in a procedural dispute over a lawsuit accusing the company of forcing immigration detainees to work for minimal pay at a facility in Aurora, Colorado.

The decision denies GEO's request for an immediate appeal of a lower court's ruling that allowed the 2014 class-action lawsuit to proceed. Filed on behalf of detainees at the Aurora Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center, the suit alleges that individuals were compelled to perform janitorial duties and other labor without compensation or for as little as $1 per day. Plaintiffs claim this work was necessary to afford basic items, as provided meals were insufficient. The case, which has been ongoing for nearly a decade, seeks remedies for what attorneys describe as exploitative conditions in the privately run facility.

GEO, headquartered in Florida, has defended its operations, arguing that as a government contractor it enjoys immunity from such lawsuits under federal law. A federal district judge rejected that claim in 2022, allowing the case to move forward toward trial. GEO then sought permission from a...