The GEO Group is one of the two largest private prison and detention companies in the United States. Founded in 1984 and based in Boca Raton, Florida, it builds and operates correctional facilities, immigration detention centers, electronic monitoring, and related services, with the U.S. government as its dominant customer.
The company's business expanded sharply in 2025 as the federal government accelerated immigration enforcement. GEO reported record profit and said it had won roughly $520 million in new annualized business in 2025, the most in its history, including a contract worth about $1 billion to operate the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, New Jersey.
Founder George C. Zoley returned as chairman and chief executive effective March 1, 2026. About half of GEO's revenue comes from contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, making the firm a private pillar of the detention system.
What they control
- A national network of private prisons and immigration detention centers
- ICE detention capacity, the source of roughly half of company revenue
- BI Incorporated, a major provider of electronic monitoring of immigrants and others
- Secure transportation and reentry services sold to governments
- About $520 million in new annualized contracts won in 2025, a company record
Key institutions & holdings
Founded 1984; formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corporation.
Provides roughly half of GEO's revenue through detention contracts.
Runs electronic monitoring programs, including ICE's.
Key facts
- Founded in 1984 as Wackenhut Corrections; one of the two largest U.S. private detention companies.
- Reported a company-record profit of about $254 million for 2025, up roughly 700% over 2024.
- Said it won about $520 million in new annualized business in 2025, the most in its history.
- Secured a roughly $1 billion contract for the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.
- Founder George C. Zoley returned as chairman and CEO effective March 1, 2026.
- David Venturella, a former GEO executive, became acting director of ICE in 2026.
Timeline
- 1984The company is founded as Wackenhut Corrections Corporation.
- 2004It becomes independent of Wackenhut and is renamed The GEO Group.
- 2025Profit hits a company record amid expanded federal immigration detention contracts.
- 2026-03-01Founder George C. Zoley returns as chairman and CEO after CEO J. David Donahue retires.
- 2026Former GEO executive David Venturella is named acting director of ICE.
Controversies
Conditions in detention · ongoing
GEO facilities have repeatedly faced lawsuits, government inspections, and advocacy reports alleging poor conditions, medical neglect, and contested labor practices in immigration detention.
Revolving door with ICE · 2026
In 2026 David Venturella, a former GEO Group executive, was named acting director of ICE, the agency that is GEO's largest customer, drawing concern about the closeness between regulator and contractor.
Profiting from immigration crackdowns · 2025-2026
Critics argue GEO's record 2025 profits, driven by expanded detention contracts, give a private company a financial incentive in aggressive immigration enforcement.
Network
- George C. ZoleyFounder, chairman, and CEOFounded the company in 1984 and returned to lead it in 2026.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementPrimary customerSource of roughly half of GEO's revenue.
- David VenturellaFormer executiveLeft GEO and became acting ICE director in 2026.
- CoreCivicChief competitorThe other dominant U.S. private detention company.
Why this matters
When incarceration and immigration detention are run for profit, a private company gains a direct financial stake in how many people are locked up and for how long. GEO's record profits during a federal detention surge, paired with former executives moving into the agencies that hire it, raise questions about accountability over decisions that take away people's liberty.