GEO Group challenges California's new detainee rights law in federal court

The GEO Group, which runs six detention centers in California, filed a complaint in federal court challenging Senate Bill 942, the Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the statute obliges detention facilities—public or private—to ensure detainees receive medical, dental and mental-health services, adequate exercise, clean water and functional toilets, among other rights. GEO Group contends that while state officials may disagree with federal immigration policy, they lack authority to alter the federal framework governing ICE detention.

The lawsuit was filed the day after the law’s enactment and follows a prior successful challenge by the company against a 2019 California restriction on private detention. The state’s attorney general, the bill’s author Senator Anna Caballero, and the governor have not yet responded to the filing.