Ever since our personal family experience with ICE last week, I find myself obsessed with George Christopher Zoley (born George Christopher Zolis.) I’d like the whole world to know who he is.
- Young George emigrated from Greece with his family when he was three years old through Ellis Island.
- His family settled in Ohio where George attended public schools in Copley.
- He founded The GEO Group in 1984.
- According to The GEO Group’s website: Mr. Zoley is one of the pioneers in the private corrections industry.
- He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2002, awarded “to individuals who have made it their mission to share with those less fortunate, their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage, boundless compassion, unique talents and selfless generosity. They do so while acknowledging their debt to their ethnic heritage as they uphold the ideals and spirit of America.” Source.
- Mr. Zoley is the founder and CEO of the nation’s largest for-profit jailer of immigrants and ICE’s biggest contractor according to CNN.
- Delaney Hall, one of 21 ICE holding centers managed by The GEO Group has been investigated for “inhumane conditions and treatment.” Source.
- According to The Colorado Times Reporter: “Both GEO Group and CoreCivic (the other large for-profit prison company) have political action committees and make substantial contributions to parties and PACS and individual candidates. GEO Group donated $3.4 million and George (maxed out) his contributions to PACS and candidates across the country, with a concentration in Florida, Arizona, and to Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. All in all, Zoley spent $235,463 in personal contributions during the 2024 cycle.”
- George Zoley reported personally to Motley Fool in February 2026 that “GEO Group reported record-setting new contract wins totaling up to $520 million in incremental annualized revenues, led by ICE facility activations and major service expansions” in the past year. (This is a 700% profit. Source.)
- Zoley’s personal salary increased from $6,448,667 in 2024 to $14,996,950 in 2025. – a 57% increase. Source.
George C. Zoley identifies as a Greek Orthodox Christian. I identify as a Presbyterian/Reformed Christian. And both of us are hypocrites in terms of following Jesus. Nevertheless, I hold up this verse (which contains the Greek word ὑποκριταί (hypocrites) as a word to all of us who call ourselves Christian:
‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.” Jesus according to Matthew 23:13
Locking people out of the Kingdom of Heaven seems even worse than merely refusing to help bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth [“Thy kingdom come, that will be done on earth as it is in heaven.“] George Zoley and ICE literally lock people inside a form of hell. I know this, now, from personal experience.
And so I’m praying that God help us figure out how to end this system of greed and cruelty that our taxes are paying for. Our. Taxes. Are. Paying. The. GEO. Group. That matters to me. I hope it matters to you too. Literally, for the love of God, I hope we will remember this man’s name and seek to hold him accountable.
Dr. George C. Zoley GEO Group 4955 Technology Way Boca Raton FL, 33431 – gzoley@geogroup.com
A Church for Starving Artists 