A federal jury determined that The GEO Group, a for-profit detention center, must pay a minimum wage to detained immigrants who perform jobs such as cooking or cleaning within its facilities in Washington state.
“This multibillion-dollar corporation illegally exploited the people it detained to line its pockets,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in an emailed statement. «Today’s victory sends a clear message: Washington will not tolerate corporations enriching themselves by violating people’s rights.».
The jury will determine how much money is owed to the detained immigrants who worked at the facility, a sum presumed to reach millions of dollars. Federal Judge Robert Bryan will decide how much The Geo Group must pay the state of Washington for the charge of unjust enrichment at the expense of the detainees.
The detention center being sued argued that the inmates were not employees under Washington's Minimum Wage Law. It added that even if they were, it would be illegal and discriminatory for Washington to require GEO to pay minimum wage to inmates working in its own prisons or other detention facilities.
Washington appears to be the first state to sue a private detention contractor for failing to pay wages to detained immigrants. However, similar lawsuits have already been filed by detained immigrants in other states, including New Mexico, Colorado, and California, seeking to compel GEO and another major private detention company, CoreCivic, to pay detainees minimum wage.
This news story was created from AP News