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Dungavel owners sued by 60,000 in US
THE security giants who run the controversial Dungavel detention centre have been accused of tactics amounting to “modern-day slavery”.
Operators Geo Group have been criticised in the US over claims that staff told people to work for minimal wage or face solitary confinement.
Immigrants were allegedly told to clean living areas in a privately run Colorado detention centre or risk being isolated from human contact.
A group of former detainees have won the right to sue the firm on behalf of an estimated 60,000 people held there over a decade.
Geo Group deny the allegations and have vowed to fight the lawsuit.
It was revealed two years ago that refugees at Dungavel were being paid just £1 an hour to do heavy work.
East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani said: “It’s time that Dungavel was closed down – that was a promise made by the UK Government. Innocent people shouldn’t be held like this for months and potentially exploited.”
In 2015, it emerged that refugees at Dungavel volunteer to do jobs to earn cash for items such as phone cards.
Working at the centre is not compulsory but asylum seekers can be held for more than a year while cases are assessed.
The US case estimates about 2,000 immigrants agreed to work for $1 a day over three years.
Amnest y’s Naomi McAuliffe said: “We’ve repeatedly raised concerns about poor conditions in Dungavel.”
Geo Group said: “We intend to vigorously defend our company against these claims.”
The Home Off ice said: “As the planning application for a facility near Glasgow Airport was rejected in January, Dungavel will remain open.”