Priests Say ICE Contractor GEO Rejected Shareholder Vote on Human Rights Review

Catholic investors allege GEO cut back on human rights reporting and denied facility visits amid concerns over alleged mistreatment of detainees.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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A group of Catholic investors led by Jesuit priests said private-prison operator GEO Group, a major contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has rejected a shareholder vote designed to shed light on alleged human rights violations in its operation of ICE detention facilities. The investors claim GEO has cut back on human rights reporting and denied them access to visit facilities, raising concerns that the company may have something to hide.

Why it matters

GEO has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Trump administration's expansion of ICE, operating several large detention centers that have faced allegations of poor treatment and conditions. The Catholic investors' efforts to increase transparency and oversight around GEO's human rights practices reflect growing public scrutiny and protests over the treatment of immigrants in detention.

The details

The Catholic investors, led by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, hold a relatively small stake in GEO but have had an outsized influence, winning 88% shareholder support in 2019 for a vote pressing GEO to issue an annual human rights report. In November 2026, the investors submitted a new shareholder proposal seeking more disclosure on whether GEO's services contribute to human rights violations. However, GEO rejected the proposal, claiming the investors' claims were "false and misleading." The investors say GEO has also cut back on its human rights reporting and denied them access to visit detention facilities.

  • In November 2026, the Catholic investors submitted a shareholder proposal seeking more disclosure on GEO's human rights practices.
  • On December 30, 2026, GEO told regulators it would not allow shareholders to vote on the investors' proposal.

The players

GEO Group

A private-prison operator and major contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), operating several large detention centers that have faced allegations of poor treatment and conditions.

USA East Province of the Society of Jesus

A group of Catholic investors, led by Jesuit priests, that holds a relatively small stake in GEO but has had an outsized influence on the company's human rights practices.

Bryan Pham

A Jesuit priest who leads the investors' talks with GEO.

Esther Moreno

A GEO attorney who told regulators the investors' claims were "false and misleading" and that the company would not allow a shareholder vote on the human rights proposal.

Rumeysa Ozturk

A Turkish graduate student who was arrested in Massachusetts and held for 45 days at a GEO facility in Louisiana, where she described being deprived of sleep and fresh air.

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What they’re saying

“The fact that the company isn't transparent with us, that raises red flags. Does it have something to hide?”

— Bryan Pham, Jesuit priest

“The entire theme and premise of the Proposal is that the Company is engaging in enforced disappearances in violation of international human rights law' through its contracts, and the services 'are provided in compliance with U.S. federal immigration law.”

— Esther Moreno, GEO attorney

What’s next

The Catholic investors say they will continue to press GEO for more transparency and oversight around its human rights practices, potentially through further shareholder proposals or other means.

The takeaway

This dispute highlights the growing tensions over the treatment of immigrants in detention facilities operated by private prison companies like GEO, which have become major beneficiaries of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The Catholic investors' efforts to increase accountability reflect broader concerns about human rights violations and lack of transparency in these facilities.