The GEO Group reached a $100,000 settlement with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and must provide proper safety equipment to detained workers.
The settlement comes after years of complaints brought forward by the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ) and Worksafe on behalf of detainees at the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Center in McFarland. The complaints were about unfair, dangerous working conditions while making $1 a day.
According to Senior Attorney Mariel Villarreal from CCIJ, GEO will now implement exposure control plans and ensure that the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided to detained workers to protect them from aerosol-transmissible diseases.
Villarreal stated there is a set timeline for the working conditions in the centers to be addressed:
- GEO has 21 days to draft a plan
- Cal OSHA has 14 days to review
- GEO has 30 days to implement the finalized plan.
Villarreal explained that the settlement is an admission by the GEO Group.
“The settlement is a sort of an admission by GEO that they had these violations and that they’re being cited for the violations. And they’re paying those fines that are associated with the citations,” said Villarreal. “There was also a really important decision that the OSHA board made in the interim during this case. Recognizing that the complainants, the workers in detention, are, quote unquote, affected employees under OSHA regulations, meaning, you know, they’re entitled to the protections that other workers in California are also entitled to.”
She expressed that while the settlement is a win, it does not solve other major issues within the detention center.
“This is a big deal, but we just, we recognize too that it’s not enough. There are still people working in detention and living in detention in horrible conditions. And they’re getting paid a dollar a day, and sometimes they’re not even getting paid at all,” said Villarreal. “It’s an important win, and it’s also, you know, it doesn’t solve the problem of people working in detention and being exploited for their labor. While a private prison company profits off of that exploitation.”
She added that GEO Group and ICE are focused on profit and that she believes they are trying to avoid responsibility as much as possible.
“GEO is trying to keep its profits as high as possible and to avoid accountability. GEO asking the federal government to change their regulations is a way to protect their profits at the expense of the rights of people who are working in detention,” said Villarreal
She expressed that she hopes to continue to see DHS and ICE accountable and that Cal/OSHA continues to advocate for the centers holding immigrants.
“We really hope that the state continues to hold both DHS and ICE, as well as the private prison companies who will continue to operate these detention centers, accountable for what’s going on inside of their facilities. That’s actually Cal/OSHA purview and jurisdiction, and we really do hope that they continue to use the power that they have to monitor and inspect those detention centers,” said Villarreal.
