Supreme Court to hear private prison company appeal in suit over immigration detainee $1-a-day wages
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The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Monday to review a case involving a private prison organization being sued for allegedly coercing immigration detainees to work for merely $1 a day in Colorado.

The GEO Group petitioned the high court after a judge declined to dismiss the 2014 lawsuit, which claims detainees were required to carry out both unpaid cleaning duties and other jobs for minimal compensation to offset insufficient meals.

The firm contends that these lawsuits are an indirect attempt to challenge federal immigration policies and asserts that their pay rates comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines.

They say the migrants can’t sue because it’s running Aurora, Colorado, facility on behalf of the government, which is immune from such lawsuits.

Attorneys for the migrants say the lawsuit is only about people being paid “almost nothing” for their work, and the contract didn’t require them to pay so little.

A lower court judge allowed the lawsuit to go forward and the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals found it couldn’t review the immunity claim before trial. The GEO Group argued to the Supreme Court that government contractors should be able to argue that issue on appeal quickly.

The Florida-based GEO Group is one of the top private detention providers in the country, with management or ownership of about 77,000 beds at 98 facilities. Its contracts include a new federal immigration detention center where Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at a protest in May.

Similar lawsuits have been brought on behalf of immigration detainees elsewhere, including a Washington state case where the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million.

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Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed reporting.

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