Washington state sues over $1/day wages paid to immigrant detainees

"(Reuters) - Washington State’s Attorney General on Wednesday sued private prison company Geo Group Inc for violating the state’s minimum wage laws by paying detained immigrants a one dollar a day or less for work they do while in detention at one of the company’s federal facilities.

The lawsuit, filed in state court in Tacoma, follows a months-long investigation by the Attorney General’s office that found immigrant detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma who prepared food and did maintenance in the center sometimes only received only snacks for their work.

Geo Group has owned and operated the 1,575-bed facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which holds immigrants awaiting court hearings or deportation, since 2005."...

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