Lawsuit: Immigrants got $1 a day for work at private prison

Source: Associated Press

Lawsuit: Immigrants got $1 a day for work at private prison

Ivan Moreno, Associated Press
Updated 4:18 am, Friday, July 10, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Immigrants who were detained at a suburban Denver facility while they awaited deportation proceedings are suing the private company that held them, alleging they were paid $1 a day to do janitorial work, sometimes under threat of solitary confinement.

They scrubbed toilets, mopped and swept floors, did laundry, and prepared and served meals, among other duties, according to attorneys who filed the lawsuit in October on behalf of nine current and former detainees.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane declined a request from the Florida-based GEO Group Inc. to dismiss the claims against it, allowing the federal lawsuit to proceed.

GEO is one of the largest contractors with the federal government for the detention of immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally or legal permanent residents with criminal records who face deportation. The company has denied wrongdoing and said in court documents the work is voluntary and it is abiding by federal guidelines in paying $1 a day.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Lawsuit-Immigrants-got-1-a-day-for-work-at-6377018.php