On Wednesday, a federal appeals court declined to grant The GEO Group, the operator of the immigrant detention center in Tacoma, another opportunity to argue for its practice of paying detainees as little as $1 per day. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld its earlier ruling, supporting lower court decisions that determined GEO violated Washington state minimum wage laws.

Dissenting from the majority opinion, Judge Patrick Bumatay, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, expressed concern about the broader implications of the ruling, stating, “the effect of this decision will be widespread.” The ruling confirms that GEO Group, based in Florida, is liable for over $23 million in damages awarded by a jury and a federal judge. The company may now consider appealing to the

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