Supreme Court Ruling Against GEO Group in Labor Lawsuit
The Supreme Court ruling against GEO Group was issued unanimously earlier this week. The decision concerns a lawsuit filed by immigration detainees held in a Colorado facility.
The ruling allows detainees to continue suing the private prison company. The case focuses on allegations that detainees were required to work for $1 per day.
Legal experts say the decision may trigger additional lawsuits. These cases could target private prisons that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Lawsuit Over Detainee Labor in Aurora, Colorado
The litigation began in 2014 at a detention facility in Aurora, Colorado. Detainees alleged they were forced to perform janitorial and other work with little or no pay.
Alejandro Menocal filed the lawsuit on behalf of detainees in a class action case. The plaintiffs argue that GEO violated federal forced labor laws.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims the company violated a Colorado law that prohibits unjust enrichment. The policies allegedly reduced labor costs within the detention facility.
Supreme Court Rejects Sovereign Immunity Argument
GEO argued that it should be protected from the lawsuit. The company claimed sovereign immunity because it operates as a contractor for ICE.
However, the Supreme Court ruling against GEO Group rejected that argument. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion for the unanimous majority.
Kagan stated that the ICE contract did not require GEO to implement the challenged work policies. She wrote, “Nothing in the ICE contract’s terms instructed GEO to adopt the work rules at issue.”
Court Allows Litigation to Continue
The Supreme Court did not decide the underlying claims in the lawsuit. Instead, the decision allows the case to continue in lower courts.
A district judge had previously ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Although Menocal did not win the case outright, he gained the right to continue litigation.
Kagan wrote that GEO may appeal if it is eventually found liable. However, the company must wait until the case concludes before doing so.
All nine justices agreed with the decision. However, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito offered different reasoning.
Legal Reaction to the Supreme Court Ruling
Attorneys representing the detainees welcomed the decision. Jennifer Bennett argued the case before the Supreme Court.
Bennett said the ruling confirms that government contractors cannot claim sovereign immunity. She also said contractors must follow the same legal rules as other litigants.
“The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision reaffirms a straightforward rule,” Bennett said, according to the Associated Press.
She added that government contractors must follow the same “one case, one appeal” process used in other legal disputes.
GEO Group and Other Related Cases
The GEO Group is based in Florida and operates one of the largest private detention systems in the United States. The company manages or owns about 77,000 beds across 98 facilities.
One of those facilities is located in Newark, New Jersey. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested there during a protest in May 2025, although charges were later dropped.
Similar legal challenges have also appeared in other states. In Washington state, the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million in a related detainee labor case.
Separate Immigration Detention Ruling
Meanwhile, another immigration detention case drew attention in federal court. A judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security violated a court order.
Minnesota District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud issued the decision last week. He ordered the federal government to compensate a detainee known as “Fernando T.”
Fernando, a Mexican citizen, was released from a Texas detention facility in late January. According to the ruling, he left without his belongings.
Court Order and Detainee Transfer Dispute
Fernando filed a habeas corpus petition on January 19. He requested either release from custody or a bond hearing.
The next day, he asked the court for a temporary restraining order. The request aimed to stop his transfer while the petition was under review.
Judge Tostrud approved the order preventing the transfer. However, federal officials later reported that they moved him to El Paso, Texas, on January 22.
