Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

On May 5, the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights (UWCHR) released a new study, “Scrapping the Standards: As ICE Lowers Detention Standards, Documents Reveal Gaps in Accountability for Sexual Abuse,” which details ways in which the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma has failed to address sexual assault and abuse. Of 229 reports from January 1, 2015 to February 25, 2025, UWCHR found 145 cases where the GEO Group or ICE made a decision, with only 19 reports found to have substantiated sexual assault claims.

The UWCHR report pinpointed three key areas where internal investigations were futile: ignoring evidence central to reports, failing to include preventative steps, and failing to report criminal activity to local law enforcement. There were several cases that included contradictory witness statements, and UWCHR found that the GEO Group (which owns the NWDC) found those cases to be “unsubstantiated.”

“The most egregious example is that of a Guatemalan detained man who reported being forced to perform oral sex on another detained man on four different occasions in June 2024–an account which was later upheld by DNA evidence,” UWCHR said. “ICE documents note that the victim reported that three other detainees who acted as lookouts during these incidents later demanded oral sex from him as well. On one of these occasions, when the primary aggressor ejaculated into the victim’s mouth, he spit it out into a plastic bag which he saved as evidence.”

The GEO Group and ICE have protocols they are meant to follow when receiving sexual abuse and assault complaints: ICE personnel on site are to be notified, who then are to immediately inform others in their chain of command. The GEO Group and ICE are also required to report any abuse that may have a criminal aspect to the Tacoma Police Department (TPD). The NWDC must determine whether the claim is confirmed or unfounded, and if it should make changes to its policies to better prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and assault. Improvements from the review process are to be implemented and if the facility refuses to do that, it must provide a written response for its reasoning.

The Guatemalan man was told that someone would speak with him about the sexual abuse, but nothing happened until June 12, 2024, when an auditor visited the facility. The victim was able to inform the auditor, which led to a TPD officer retrieving the semen sample and speaking with the man. But UWCHR found that on August 19, 2024, NWDC warden Bruce Scott received an email from the TPD Special Assaults Unit:

“Dear Mr. Scott, Feel free to conduct your investigation however you wish with no request for restrictions from the law enforcement end. I have attached the initial police report regarding the incident. If possible I would like a copy of your investigation when it is complete. I appreciate your assistance and if you need anything done on my end please let me know.” 

According to UWCHR, GEO’s internal investigations noted that TPD was not going to investigate the claim, which GEO found to be unsubstantiated.

“In November 2024, TPD detective Keith Miner contacted Officer Mike Moon at the NWIPC to inform him that the semen sample had finally been sent to the lab, and that analysis of its results confirmed that the contents included human sperm matching the DNA of the individual identified by the victim as his rapist,” UWCHR stated.

Moon replied to Miner and said the two were no longer at the facility and their “whereabouts [were] unknown,” leading TPD to close the case, UWCHR reported. The center received only 58 sexual abuse incident review forms out of the 172 reports, of which five incorporated recommendations.

“No annual Sexual Abuse Incident Review was provided to enable researchers to assess whether those recommendations had ever been implemented,” according to UWCHR.

The GEO Group and ICE have failed to report sexual abuse activity that’s possibly criminal to law enforcement, and people being detained are unable to contact 911 from the phones and tablets they are provided, forcing them to notify the detention facility’s staff. UWCHR found that personnel routinely neglected to inform law enforcement officials when asked.

“On multiple dates in August and September 2023, a detained man from Mexico reported being sexually harassed in the rec yard of the NWIPC, where another detained man repeatedly exposed himself and masturbated while making suggestive comments to him,” UWCHR stated. “His written grievance asked for the incident to be reported to the Tacoma Police Department, but a message from the facility’s SAAPI coordinator noted, “At this time, in accordance with previous directive from ICE, TPD will not be contacted due to this being a non-physical allegation.””

ICE has new National Detention Standards which are in place until October 27, which UWCHR stated are a major drop in detention guidelines. The new contract states that federal rules should be followed if there are any conflicts with local, state, or federal laws.

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