GEO private prisons profit from immigrant detention in contracts and labor. Stocks spike, too.

[suffragette]

And of course, they support Trump, cycling some of the profit back to him.
UPDATED: they are also pushing legislation to detain immigrant children indefinitely.

Big Money As Private Immigrant Jails Boom

https://www.npr.org/2017/11/21/565318778/big-money-as-private-immigrant-jails-boom

The Trump administration wants to expand its network of immigrant jails. In recent months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has called for five new detention facilities to be built and operated by private prison corporations across the country. Critics are alarmed at the rising fortunes of an industry that had fallen out of favor with the previous administration.

~~~

The forced labor allegations are part of two class-action lawsuits in federal court.

GEO "strongly refutes" these claims and plans to fight them. In an emailed statement, the company says detainee labor is voluntary and immigrant workers are paid a dollar a day because that's the rate set by ICE. GEO also says it provides "culturally responsive services in safe and humane environments," and that all of its facilities comply with national detention standards.

~~~
The two largest private corrections corporations, GEO Group and CoreCivic, each gave $250,000 to Trump's inaugural festivities.

JUDGE REJECTS FOR-PROFIT NORTHWEST DETENTION CENTER OPERATOR’S MOTION TO DISMISS AG LAWSUIT

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/judge-rejects-profit-northwest-detention-center-operator-s-motion-dismiss-ag

Apr 26 2018

Lawsuit alleges multi-billion dollar corporation violates state minimum wage law by paying workers $1 per day

OLYMPIA — A federal judge today rejected an effort by the Northwest Detention Center’s operator, GEO Group, Inc. (GEO), to dismiss Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against the company for allegedly violating Washington’s minimum wage laws.

“The court is clear: GEO cannot avoid accountability by hiding behind its contract with ICE,” Ferguson said. “This is an important step toward holding this multi-billion dollar company accountable for exploiting its detainee workers in Washington by not following our minimum wage laws.”

GEO uses immigration detainee labor to perform virtually all non-security functions at Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center (NWDC), the only private detention facility in the state. Since at least 2005, GEO has paid thousands of detainee workers $1 per day or, in some instances, snacks and extra food for labor that is necessary to keep NWDC operational. Washington’s minimum wage is $11.50 per hour.

Geo Group Inc (The) REIT (GEO) Moves Higher on Volume Spike for June 15
https://www.equities.com/news/geo-group-inc-the-reit-geo-moves-higher-on-volume-spike-for-june-15

Geo Group Inc (The) REIT (GEO) traded on unusually high volume on Jun. 15, as the stock gained 0.08% to close at $24.96. On the day, Geo Group Inc (The) REIT saw 1.34 million shares trade hands on 5,098 trades. Considering that the stock averages only a daily volume of 781,210 shares a day over the last month, this represents a pretty significant bump in volume over the norm.

Edit to add:

In May 2017, Newsweek reported on bill that GEO pushed to change law to be able to detain immigrant children indefinitely

http://www.newsweek.com/geo-group-private-prisons-immigration-detention-trump-596505

PRIVATE PRISON COMPANY GEO GROUP GAVE GENEROUSLY TO TRUMP AND NOW HAS LUCRATIVE CONTRACT

Within the Texas legislature, a controversial bill is pending. A private prisons company called the GEO Group has allegedly asked Republicans to submit a law that could lead to immigrant children being indefinitely detained in its lucrative centers.

Representatives John Raney, John Cyrier and Mark Keough—all Republicans—have authored legislation that, if passed, would allow immigration detention centers to obtain child care licenses. Equipped with the permits, the centers would then be able to circumvent a 2015 federal ruling that said detained immigrant children must be transferred to a child care facility after 20 days in detention.

Raney, Cyrier and Keough’s bill would not require the detention centers to change their setups, but it could significantly benefit them. The GEO Group, which runs the Karnes Residential Center—one of two family detention facilities in Texas—earns $55 million annually from the facility. At present, just 100 of its 830 beds are occupied, according to the Associated Press.

This perhaps explains why the GEO Group—despite having a Greek immigrant, George Zoley as its CEO—is so keen to see Raney, Cyrier and Keough’s bill pass. So keen, in fact, that the organization essentially wrote it. “I’ve known the lady who's [the GEO Group’s] lobbyist for a long time,” Raney told the Associated Press. That's where the legislation came from. We don't make things up. People bring things to us and ask us to help.”

[duforsure]

1. Who in the White House or Congress

Own private prison stocks , who'll financially profit from this? Sessions? Anyone?

[suffragette]

3. Good question. They already make sure they donate to Trump.

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

[suffragette]

4. Solly, I added another article I found while you were posting. Be sure to read it, it further ties

together what is happening now.

[Solly Mack]

5. Thanks! Will do.

[lunasun]

6. K&R. Thank you for posting thi$

[suffragette]

8. They profit off pain.

[Mc Mike]

7. Repug profiteers. Thanks, suff. Rec, nt.

[suffragette]

9. The last article has a more comprehensive list of donations

to Trump from GEO.

[Mc Mike]

10. Thanks for all the article links. I see that they claim GEO Corrections Holdings,

the GEO Group subsidiary that gave all that money, 'is a non-contracting legal entity'.

So GEO's illegal donations 'are not' illegal. Sez GEO. And AG Sessions, no doubt.