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Friend,
In 2015, when Wilhen Hill Barrientos was sent to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, after seeking asylum in the U.S., he could either work for nearly nothing or lose access to basic necessities, safety and privacy.
He was told that if he refused, he would be placed in solitary confinement. He also would not have enough money to pay for food or costly phone calls to his family.
Barrientos ultimately worked in the kitchen, helping cook meals for up to 2,000 people each day. He regularly worked eight- to nine-hour shifts, seven days a week, and usually received $4 to $5 per day – about 50 cents per hour. After he filed a grievance for being forced to work while sick, he was put in medical segregation for more than a month.
In 2018, Barrientos was one of several people detained at Stewart who filed suit against CoreCivic, the for-profit company operating the facility under a federal contract. The federal lawsuit was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Project South. The two organizations were later joined by pro bono counsel from the law firm Perkins Coie LLP. The complaint describes violations of anti-trafficking laws that unjustly enriched CoreCivic.
After five years of litigation, a settlement was reached last month as the trial was set to begin.
As part of the agreement, CoreCivic will be required to notify all detained immigrants participating in the work program at Stewart of their rights, including their right to refuse to work. The document provided to detained workers, written in both Spanish and English, will state that they can’t be forced to work and have the right to prompt monetary compensation, relevant training, necessary safety equipment and respect from staff.
“The declaration of rights is a call to action to those in immigration jails to keep fighting for justice, and it makes clear that they should not face the abuses that I suffered at Stewart,” Barrientos said.
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In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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