Federal jury: Immigrant detainees are owed minimum wage

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By GENE JOHNSON

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal jury has determined that The GEO Group must pay minimum wage — rather than $1 a day — to immigration detainees who perform tasks like cooking and cleaning at its for-profit detention center in Washington state.

The verdict came Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma in a second trial over the issue. The first trial ended in June with a deadlocked jury.

“This multi-billion dollar corporation illegally exploited the people it detains to line its own pockets,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in an emailed statement. “Today’s victory sends a clear message: Washington will not tolerate corporations that get rich violating the rights of the people.”

The jury will now consider how much the immigrant detainees who worked at the facility are owed, and U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan on his own will determine what The GEO Group must pay Washington for its claim that the company unjustly enriched itself.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-business-washington-minimum-wage-tacoma-c0eecdc7faf3436089a01e16cb9ead58

[GregariousGroundhog]

1. I have a legal question about this

The article mentions a federal jury; why was this case heard in a federal court and not a state one? Isn't the issue at hand who is covered by Washington State's minimum wage law? Federal contractors are still subject to state labor protections aren't they?

[Lochloosa]

4. Immigration is a Federal Issue not the States.

[LogicFirst]

5. Congressional Research Service

"The enforcement of the civil provisions, which includes apprehension and removal of deportable aliens, has strictly been viewed as a federal responsibility, with states playing an incidental supporting role."

Illegal entry into the US is governed by Federal laws.

[Budi]

2. K & R

[The Blue Flower]

3. Bob Ferguson has always been a great public servant

Between Gov Inslee and AG Ferguson, Washington is in very good hands.

[trof]

6. GREED personified

[wnylib]

7. Detainment camps, like prisons, should never

be run by for-profit companies in the first place.

[gopiscrap]

8. agreed along transpo, medical utilities and education

[Steelrolled]

9. Didn't realize that immigration detainees was a business.

The free market at work I guess!

[inthewind21]

10. You think this is bad

Take a look at all the "for profit" prisons all over the country. They supply cheap labor for companies such as
AM EX and Microsoft just to name a few.

https://corpaccountabilitylab.org/calblog/2020/8/5/private-companies-producing-with-us-prison-labor-in-2020-prison-labor-in-the-us-part-ii

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/cheap-labor-means-prisons-still-turn-a-profit-even-during-a-pandemic