A leading contractor that operates immigration detention centers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) privately sought changes to federal detention standards that could strengthen its position in ongoing lawsuits over detainee labor, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The report says GEO Group, one of ICE's largest contractors, asked the agency to remove language requiring contractors to comply with certain state and local laws governing detainee treatment and to clarify that detainees are not employees. GEO has faced lawsuits in several states alleging that it violates minimum-wage laws by paying some detainees as little as $1 per day for work performed inside detention facilities.
