U.S. ICE revises migrant detention standards at GEO Group's request, ending wage rules

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has revised its national standards for migrant detention centers following a proposal from the GEO Group, a leading private contractor that runs more than a dozen ICE facilities. The new rules eliminate references to state and local regulations and remove the requirement that detainees be paid at least $1 a day for work, stating that detainees “are not employees” and “are not entitled to wages or benefits under applicable wage laws or labor regulations.”

ICE said the changes are intended to “reduce the burden” on contractors and allow greater operational flexibility, including the use of artificial‑intelligence tools for non‑critical communication with detainees. Critics argue the revisions will worsen already poor conditions, with former DHS ombudsman Michelle Brane warning that “100% it’s going to result in deterioration of already problematic conditions of detention.” Legal scholars have raised constitutional concerns, noting that the policy may skirt the 13th Amendment’s prohibition on involuntary servitude. The update comes as ICE receives substantial funding from a recent $70 billion immigration‑enforcement bill and faces reports of record‑setting deaths and medical neglect in its facilities.