While detained in a private detention center awaiting determination of their immigration status, Alejandro Menocal and Grisel Xahuentitla were forced to work for free under threat of solitary confinement and also 'allowed' to work for $1 per day. Alejandro and Grisel knew that couldn't be right. Together with seven other civil immigrant detainees, they filed suit against The GEO Group, Inc., their jailer and the country's second-largest private prison provider, for violating federal law barring forced labor and unjustly enriching itself on the back of its captive workforce. Since then, Grisel and Alejandro have overcome GEO's motion to dismiss and certified a class of approximately 60,000 current and former detainees who were subjected to the same treatment that they endured while in detention.  

Now, Grisel and Alejandro need your help. Challenging the practices of a company with yearly revenue over $1,500,000,000 on behalf of 60,000 vulnerable immigrant workers is no small task. Despite having non-profit lawyers at Towards Justice, litigation is expensive. We anticipate costs to include depositions, travel expenses, expert witnesses, and tools necessary to review what will undoubtedly be masses of documents disclosed by GEO. With our stretch target of $25,000, Grisel and Alejandro can collect and review all of GEO's documents related to detainee work, interview current and former GEO personnel, and depose GEO as an entity, requiring it to make sworn factual statements about its policies and practices at the Aurora, Colorado Detention Center. 

None of your money will be used to compensate attorneys.  It will only be used to cover actual costs of litigation.

With your help, David can conquer Goliath.  Grisel and Alejandro can stop GEO from profiting off the backs of its detainees by forcing them to work under threat of solitary confinement. Help Grisel and Alejandro fight back, and ensure that up to 60,000 detainees have their day in court.

All Donations are Tax Deductible Support for Towards Justice, a 501(c)(3) legal services organization in Denver, and will be dedicated to litigation costs incurred by Plaintiffs in The GEO Group, Inc. v. Menocal, et al, which is currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.