GEO Group shareholder resolution, Geo Group, 2018
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RESOLUTION RESOLVED: That the stockholders of the Company (GEO Group) request that the Board of Directors adopt the following policy, to be implemented no later than December 31, 2019: 1. GEO Group shall adopt a policy of not accepting immigrant detainee children (persons under the age of 18), who have been separated from their parent or parents by any U.S. government entity, for housing at any facility owned or operated by the Company. 2. GEO Group shall adopt a policy of not accepting adult immigrant detainees (persons over the age of 18), who have been separated from their child or children by any U.S. government entity, for housing at any facility owned or operated by the Company. 3. If GEO Group houses at any of its facilities any immigrant detainee children or adults described in sections 1 or 2 above at the time the policies set forth in sections 1 and 2 are implemented, the Company shall: a) immediately move to modify all such contracts to comply with the above policies or, if such modification is not possible within a sixmonth period, seek to withdraw from or terminate such contracts as soon as possible, including invoking any early termination options or clauses in such contracts, and b) diligently work to make arrangements to safely house such immigrant detainees that do not involve housing them at any of the Company’s facilities. Supporting Statement The controversial issue of separating immigrant detainee children from their parents in the United States has made headlines across the country. 1 As of October 2018, news reports indicated that hundreds of immigrant detainee children remain separated from their parents, and the U.S. government “is considering a policy that could again separate parents and their children at the U.S.-Mexico border.” 2 While GEO Group currently does not house immigrant detainee children who have been separated from their parents, the Company may change its policy in the future. The Company has had a controversial history with respect to housing immigrant detainees. Of the five immigrant detention facilities with the highest number of sexual abuse complaints, three are operated by GEO Group. 3 Immigrant detainees have staged hunger strikes at GEO Group detention centers. 4 Of the 18 detainee deaths in ICE 1 www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621065383/what-we-know-family-separation-and-zero-tolerance-at-the-border https://fox4kc.com/2018/10/14/thousands-of-children-still-separated-from-parents-at-the-border 3 www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sexual-assaults-immigration-detention-centers-don-t-get-investigatedsays-n745616; www.cnn.com/2014/10/03/justice/texas-immigrant-detention-allegations/index.html 4 www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-02/immigrants-in-texas-detention-center-said-to-mounthunger-strike 2 custody in FY 2016 and 2017, nine occurred at GEO-run facilities. 5 The Company is currently facing lawsuits for using immigrant detainees to perform work for wages as low as $1.00 per day. 6 These incidents pose risks to GEO Group’s reputation and raise liability concerns. Should the Company decide in the future to house immigrant children or parents who have been separated, that also would create reputational harm. Accordingly, this resolution requires GEO Group to enact policies that prohibit it from housing immigrant detainee children or parents who have been separated, in order to reduce reputational and liability risks to the Company and to protect shareholder value. 5 www.thedailybeast.com/immigrant-deaths-in-private-prisons-explode-under-trump www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2018/jun/7/lawsuits-filed-against-geo-group-wage-violations-detentionfacilities; https://shadowproof.com/2018/08/06/judge-certifies-class-action-lawsuit-geo-groups-forcedimmigrant-labor-washington 6