Who Owns GEO Group? Delaney Hall Operator Under Scrutiny Over ICE Contracts
The GEO Group, a Florida-based private prison company operating an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, has faced a flurry of backlash over conditions across multiple facilities.
The company, which runs the Delaney Hall detention center under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is among the largest private prison operators globally, managing dozens of facilities and tens of thousands of detention beds in the United States and overseas.
As the Trump administration has moved to expand immigration enforcement, it has also increased the use of ICE detention, reopening facilities and awarding new contracts to private prison companies to boost capacity.
Delaney Hall, a roughly 1,000-bed facility in Newark, reopened in 2025 under a 15-year ICE contract with the GEO Group. The facility has been thrust into the forefront of the national spotlight amid a series of large-scale protests and an ongoing hunger strike among detainees inside the facility over the conditions and medical treatment.
The facility has been the subject of an ongoing legal dispute between the company and the city of Newark, which alleges the site was opened without proper permits and that officials were denied access for inspections. The GEO Group has disputed those allegations, arguing in court filings that federal authority over immigration detention limits local oversight.
A federal appeals court ruled in July in CoreCivic, Inc. v. Governor of New Jersey that New Jersey cannot prevent private prison companies from contracting with the federal government, striking down key parts of a state law aimed at limiting detention facilities.
Newsweek reached out to the GEO Group for comment via email.
Who Owns The GEO Group?
The GEO Group is largely owned by several investors. According to recent ownership filings compiled by Fintel, the largest shareholders include BlackRock, State Street, UBS and other investment firms. Institutional investors control the vast majority of GEO’s outstanding shares.
The company was founded by George Zoley, who returned as CEO in 2026 after the retirement of former CEO J. David Donahue. GEO’s executive team also includes former senior ICE official Matthew Albence, who now serves in a leadership role overseeing government relations and client services.
Federal contracts are the backbone of GEO’s business. In its latest annual filing, the company reported that ICE accounted for nearly half of its total revenue, while the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Prisons contributed additional federal income. Altogether, roughly two-thirds of GEO’s revenue comes from federal detention and corrections contracts.
How Much Does Geo Group Make From ICE?
The private prison operator reported a record $254 million in profit last year, driven in part by asset sales and new contracts to expand ICE detention capacity. The company said it secured roughly $520 million in new or expanded business in 2025 on an annualized basis, according to GEO Group founder and Executive Chairman of the Board George Zoley. The contracts include agreements tied to the construction and operation of several immigration detention facilities.
The profits have drawn backlash from advocates, especially amid ongoing litigation over a $1-a-day detainee work program at a Colorado facility, which critics say highlights concerns about private detention operators' financial incentives.
Zoley told investors on a call in August: "Given the intrinsic value of our assets and the unprecedented growth opportunities we anticipate will materialize over the balance of this year and next year, we believe that our current equity valuation offers an attractive opportunity for investors."
Legal Challenges
A 2014 class-action lawsuit, Menocal v. GEO Group, alleges detainees at the company's Aurora Immigration Processing Center were required to perform cleaning work under threat of punishment and were paid as little as $1 a day under a voluntary work program; the claims remain contested and have not been decided on the merits.
According to court filings, GEO operated what it described as a "Voluntary Work Program," under which detainees could earn about $1 per day for tasks such as kitchen work, laundry, and janitorial duties.
The lawsuit also alleges detainees were required to clean common areas without compensation as part of sanitation policies, and that some who refused risked penalties including solitary confinement or loss of privileges, claims GEO has denied. GEO Group has argued in court that its work programs complied with federal government contracts and ICE standards, and that detainee participation was voluntary.
Detainees in ICE custody can participate in voluntary work programs within detention facilities, according to a 2025 ICE policy paper reviewed by Newsweek. Under ICE's detention standards, detainees working at a facility must be paid at least $1 per day, and facilities must have a system to ensure owed wages are paid before transfer or release.
In 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the case, deciding whether GEO could immediately appeal the lower court's finding that GEO was not entitled to defend against Menocal's suit by claiming immunity as a federal contractor.
The court ruled that the company was not entitled to immediately appeal, allowing the detainees' claims to proceed toward trial. The ruling did not determine whether the company's practices were unlawful, but it cleared the way for the case to continue in federal court.
Allegations of Abuse and Oversight Gaps
Separate lawsuits and investigations have raised concerns about how detainees are treated in facilities run by GEO and other private operators. The company has faced civil litigation over conditions and treatment in prisons and immigration detention centers, including claims involving safety, medical care, and use of force.
Immigrants detained at the Golden State Annex ICE facility in California alleged that a guard sexually harassed, assaulted, and coerced detainees into sexual acts while promising immigration-related favors and making threats, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A 2026 report by researchers at the University of Washington examining a GEO-operated facility in Tacoma concluded that some allegations of sexual abuse were not fully investigated and were, in certain cases, not referred to law enforcement authorities. GEO has not publicly accepted those findings and has said it has policies in place to report and investigate misconduct. GEO Group has said it is committed to operating safe and secure facilities and complying with federal detention standards.
A federal class-action lawsuit was filed in January over conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Southern California, where detained migrants and advocacy groups allege inadequate access to safe drinking water, sufficient food and basic hygiene facilities. The complaint claims the water available inside the facility often appears dirty and tastes unusual, raising concerns about whether it is safe to consume. The Adelanto facility, located in the Mojave Desert and operated by the GEO Group under contract with ICE, is one of the largest immigration detention centers in the United States.
At Delaney Hall specifically, detainees have complained in recent months about access to food, water, and medical care, according to several detainees inside the facility.
A 41-year-old Haitian man died after spending one day at the facility, according to an ICE news release. Jean Wilson Brutus died at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, following a medical emergency at Delaney Hall Detention Facility on December 12, 2025, ICE said. Brutus had entered ICE custody on December 11, 2025, after being arrested for criminal mischief, the agency said.
Local Emergency Medical Services responded to the emergency at Delaney Hall, transported Brutus to the hospital, and he was pronounced deceased, according to a press release. Brutus had entered the United States illegally on June 20, 2023, and was paroled pending immigration proceedings, ICE said.
"Since Trump returned to office, GEO Group and other private contractors have been teeming over the administration's massive expansion of ICE immigrant detention, including cashing in on current and former BOP prisons and positioning themselves to open new facilities including ICE's detention warehouse model that has garnered widespread opposition in communities across the country,” Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network, said in a statement.
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 3:10 PM.