GEO Group Settles California Workplace Safety Case for $100,000

The GEO Group agreed to pay more than $100,000 to settle a landmark case involving conditions at the Golden State Annex facility in McFarland, California. The settlement resolves allegations from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the company failed to implement safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among detainees in voluntary work programs.

Under the terms of the agreement signed in May, the company will improve its disease control plans and acknowledge that it is subject to state labor laws. In exchange, the state will drop its citations. This case represents the first known instance of a state treating immigrant detainees as workers and their operators as employers.

Parallel to the California settlement, the company influenced United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to update contractor standards. These updated federal standards now explicitly state that detainees are not entitled to wages or benefits under applicable labor regulations.