Have you witnessed forced labor or other illegal practice at the CoreCivic ICE Houston Center or at another CoreCivic detention facility? If so, you may be able to participate in an immigration detainee labor lawsuit investigation.

Immigrants being detained in CoreCivic detention centers in Texas and across the country may have been forced to work for $1 a day—or even less—while detained in a CoreCivic facility. Detention centers allegedly engaging in forced labor practices include the CoreCivic ICE Houston center, known as the Houston Processing Center.

What is CoreCivic?

CoreCivic is a for-profit prison system, and the company also runs immigration detention centers. According to a report in Mother Jones, as well as litigation from former detainees, CoreCivic has forced its detainees into working for $1–$3 a day, or even nothing at all. By contrast, CoreCivic facilities are paid approximately $100,000 a day by ICE.

For-profit immigration detention is an industry in and of itself. Indeed, according to a Daily Beast investigation, for-profit immigration centers brought in nearly $1 billion in 2018 alone, underwritten by taxpayers. There are a slew of problems with the for-profit immigration center system, including reports of high rates of suicide, minimal oversight, and the ethical problem of forced labor. Every day, tens of thousands of people are detained by ICE.

But the detention of immigrants isn’t merely the enforcement of policy. It also helps grow the for-profit detention industry. GEO Group operates the largest percentage of ICE centers and reports that it expects to grow to $2.3 billion in earnings in 2019. CoreCivic runs the second-largest percentage of ICE detention centers.

CoreCivic and similar companies have spent millions each year lobbying the House appropriations subcommittee in control of funding their immigration detention programs. According to a report by the Washington Post, these for-profit prison companies have also reportedly given substantial contributions to the Trump campaign.

Some lawsuits allege that detention centers require its detainees to use the minimal wages they’ve earned to buy basic necessities.

Texas CoreCivic Detention Centers

There are a number of CoreCivic detention facilities located in Texas. These include:

• Houston Processing Center (Houston, Texas)
• Laredo Processing Center (Laredo, Texas)
• South Texas Residential Facility (Dilley, Texas)
• Don Hutto Residential Center (Taylor, Texas)
• Webb County Detention Center (Laredo, Texas)

Filing a CoreCivic Lawsuit

So far, a number of lawsuits have been filed by former detainees of these immigrant detention centers over unlawful practices, including forced labor. Our investigation is also looking for those who may have witnessed the mistreatment of detainees or forced labor practices in facilities like the CoreCivic ICE Houston center or other CoreCivic facilities.

Those who work at CoreCivic facilities are the most likely to be able to have relevant information and blow the whistle on illegal practices like forced labor allegedly taking place in these detention centers. Other people who may have information pertinent to this investigation include volunteers and visitors to these detention centers.

If you have witnessed forced labor or other legal issues at a CoreCivic ICE Houston center or elsewhere, you may be able to help those affected by participating in this free investigation.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.