On June 9, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dropped its lawsuit against private prison company Geo Group, which was accused of using a toxic disinfectant that endangered the health and safety of employees and detainees alike.
The company faced fines of up to about $3,550 for each of its approximately 1,100 violations for failing to provide its workers with protection from a toxic disinfectant heavily sprayed at its Adelanto, California, immigration facility in 2022-2023.
The Guardian
Specifically, the disinfectant is called Halt. The EPA itself warned that it “causes irreversible eye damage and skin burns. Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing.” Geo did not provide the right equipment for its staff to safely utilize Halt, giving them “extra soft” nitrile gloves which are “not intended for use as a general chemical barrier.”
The EPA’s sudden dropping of the lawsuit represents two conflicts of interest. Firstly, Geo Group has been contracted to the tune of billions by the Trump administration to hold the detainees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Secondly, Geo Group has been a staunch financial supporter of Trump and the Republican Party. It has donated one million dollars to Trump’s Make America Great Again Pac, $1.2 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Senate Leadership Fund (both Republican PACs), and was the first to max out its donations to Trump’s third campaign for President.
