Indentured Detention
How Immigrant Labor Fuels Profit in America’s For-Profit Detention Centers
By Floyd Webb
Immigrant Detention is a slavery scam. The Geo Group pockets millions while serving ICE contracts.
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” — 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
That promise, carved into the Constitution after a brutal civil war, includes a haunting exception: “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” Today, that exception is being used—and arguably abused—not only in the nation’s prisons but also in the vast network of private immigration detention centers operated for profit.
One company sits at the heart of this ethical and legal firestorm: The GEO Group, which contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain thousands of immigrants across the United States. While waiting for civil immigration proceedings—not criminal trials—many of these detainees are “offered” work opportunities for just $1 per day. But reports and court rulings reveal a deeper truth: this is not work freely chosen, but labor under coercion—threatened by punishment, used to cut costs, and exploit human vulnerability.
The $1-a-Day Economy of Incarceration
In GEO facilities such as the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, detained immigrants are tasked with a wide array of daily chores: cleaning bathrooms, washing dishes, preparing meals, doing laundry, and even barbering. These aren’t just casual jobs—they are the essential functions that keep the facility running. GEO saves millions annually by relying on this labor instead of hiring full-wage employees.
In 2021, a Washington jury ruled that GEO had violated state minimum wage laws by paying immigrant detainees only $1 per day, awarding $17.3 million in back wages to current and former detainees who had worked under the system.[^1] The ruling affirmed that detainees—though held under federal ICE contracts—are employees under state law and are entitled to fair compensation.
[^1]: SF Chronicle, “Private detention centers must pay migrants minimum wage, 9th Circuit rules,” May 2024. Link
Not So Voluntary
GEO claims the work program is voluntary, but multiple detainees and whistleblowers have reported threats for those who refused. Some were warned they would be placed in solitary confinement or lose basic privileges if they declined to participate.[^2] In practice, this “choice” is a form of economic coercion. With no money to buy phone cards, hygiene products, or snacks, detainees are often compelled to work simply to meet basic needs.
[^2]: The Guardian, “US immigrant detainees forced to work for $1 a day, lawsuit claims,” Feb 2024. Link
The 13th Amendment: Abolition’s Loophole
The constitutional question is profound: Are these labor practices a violation of the 13th Amendment? The amendment clearly prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude—except as punishment for a crime. But immigration detention is a civil, not criminal, matter. Many detainees have committed no crimes at all. They are asylum seekers, visa overstays, or undocumented individuals awaiting immigration court decisions.
Because these individuals have not been “duly convicted” of a crime, the forced labor exception should not apply. Legal scholars argue that this renders their coerced labor a direct violation of the Constitution.[^3] And yet, the practice continues—largely because federal contracts shield private operators from state labor laws, and ICE explicitly allows the $1/day wage under its internal guidelines.
[^3]: Loyola Law Review, “Abolition Without Exception: The 13th Amendment and Immigration Detention Labor,” 2023.
Profit Over People
GEO Group is a publicly traded corporation. Its shareholders benefit from the cost savings of this captive labor. Court records show that in facilities like Tacoma, detainee labor replaced the equivalent of 85 full-time staff positions. And while detainees make a dollar a day, GEO continues to earn millions in ICE contracts, creating a perverse financial incentive to detain more people for longer periods.[^4]
[^4]: AP News, “Supreme Court to hear appeal in suit over $1-a-day wages at immigrant detention centers,” March 2025. Link
What’s at Stake Now
In early 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear GEO’s appeal—specifically challenging whether private detention centers must comply with state minimum wage laws when operating under federal immigration authority.[^5] The outcome could redefine labor rights for detained immigrants nationwide and clarify the constitutional scope of the 13th Amendment in modern civil detention.
[^5]: Reuters, “US Supreme Court to weigh $1-a-day immigrant detainee labor dispute,” March 2025. Link
A 21st Century Dilemma, Rooted in 19th Century Law
The 13th Amendment was intended to break the back of slavery—not to carve out loopholes for its profitable resurrection. Yet in the current system of immigration enforcement, we are seeing the slow creep of neo-indentured servitude, where freedom is held hostage to corporate efficiency and legal gray zones.
If we are to be a nation that truly honors the spirit of abolition, the exception clause must be reexamined, especially when applied outside criminal justice. Civil detention must not become a business model built on human desperation.
Because when a dollar a day becomes the going rate for freedom, we’ve already lost far more than money.