Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

Despite thousands of health and safety complaints from people being detained at Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Processing Center, its owner, The GEO Group, continues to refuse to let Washington Department of Health (DOH) safety and health inspectors inside the building. Now, Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown are taking additional legal action by pursuing a court order to allow health inspections— something that is already required under state law.

“The water tastes disgusting, it does not taste like normal water you usually drink, which makes sense because all the staff here bring in their own water bottles because they know the water here is not safe to drink,” one complaint stated.

Over 3,500 complaints need to be investigated, and are related to contaminated food, unsanitary conditions, cruelty, assault, and more. Those being detained have reported being served food with burnt plastic, metal string, rope, splinters, hair, and worms. Furthermore, people in the facility have been so famished that when they were served raw meat, some ate it, which led to 15 people becoming severely ill.

Sexual abuse is also rampant in the facility, with one person reporting three separate incidents. The GEO Group is unable to provide clean bedding and clothes, with one detainee requesting clean boxers and being provided a dirty pair that belonged to another person. Since 2024, two people have died in the detention center and six have attempted suicide.

“GEO Group has continued to obstruct our efforts to conduct these critical health inspections. That is unacceptable. We’ve beaten GEO in court before, and we’ll beat them again,” Gov. Ferguson said.

Back in 2023, the state legislature passed House Bill 1470, which provided basic health and safety standards for private detention facilities and authorized the DOH to conduct unannounced health and safety inspections. A judge blocked several of the law’s provisions, which prevented it from taking effect, but in March of 2026, an order was issued to force the GEO Group to comply. The most recent DOH refusal was April 20, however.

As legal battles between state leaders and the GEO Group ensue, the private company has shown that it will regularly break the law time and time again. Concerned community members and activists say this is not enough, and that this immigration center needs to be permanently closed.

“GEO Group is not above the law: they must allow health inspectors to inspect the Tacoma facility,” AG Brown said. “Washington law helps bring accountability and transparency to otherwise opaque private detention facilities. The fact that GEO Group resists basic health and safety inspections and refuses to follow the law should trouble all Washingtonians.”

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