Washington state has requested a federal judge to compel private prison operator The Geo Group to permit health inspectors into its for-profit immigration detention facility in Tacoma. The facility has been the subject of thousands of complaints from detainees in recent years.
On Tuesday, Governor Bob Ferguson announced that inspectors from the Washington Department of Health have been repeatedly denied entry to the Northwest ICE Processing Center, where Geo Group detains immigrants under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The center holds up to approximately 1,600 individuals awaiting deportation proceedings.
In 2023, Washington enacted a law asserting its broad authority to enforce health and safety laws against private detention facilities. Geo Group challenged the law, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it. The company has until June 11 to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown stated, "Despite the mandate of the court and the seriousness of the problem, The Geo Group continues to defy our law by refusing to admit DOH inspectors. In my view, this is not just a legal obligation. It is a moral obligation."
Geo Group declined to comment, referring inquiries to ICE, which did not respond to a request for comment.
The state reports receiving 3,500 complaints from detainees over the past few years, nearly 1,000 related to water, food, and air quality. Complaints include food containing burned plastic, splinters, hair, worms, and other foreign objects, as well as foul-tasting water.
Governor Ferguson noted that state health inspectors have been turned away all ten times they attempted to enter since the law passed. Most recently, on April 20, inspectors were denied access to test the water. While the facility receives water from the city of Tacoma, which has high-quality water, officials suspect issues with the detention center's pipe maintenance.
According to the state's court filing, inspectors were told they needed to contact the ICE field office in Seattle, which they had previously contacted without success.
