MCFARLAND, Calif. (KERO) — The GEO Group has reached a settlement with Cal/OSHA over workplace safety citations issued at the Golden State Annex immigration detention facility in McFarland.
Under the agreement, GEO will pay more than $104,000 in penalties. A previously willful serious citation involving its aerosol transmissible disease program will also be reclassified as a general violation.
The company agreed to implement and maintain updated disease exposure control plans at several GEO-operated detention and re-entry facilities across California, including the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield.
The settlement ends years of litigation over the 2022 citations but states the agreement is a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission of liability by GEO.
Cal/OSHA released a statement following the settlement.
"Every worker deserves a safe and healthy workplace and should be able to report workplace hazards without fear of retaliation. Individuals who perform work in these facilities are entitled to workplace safety protections, and this settlement reinforces Cal/OSHA's commitment to enforcing those protections and safeguarding vulnerable workers," Cal/OSHA said.
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