Federal judge orders Tacoma ICE center to allow health and safety inspections

A fence outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center, is shown on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, in Tacoma.

KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

A federal judge has ordered the immigration detention center in Tacoma to allow Washington state officials access to conduct health and safety inspections. It’s the latest in a long-running fight between state officials and GEO Group, the private contractor that owns and operates the federal facility.

The judge’s order, issued Thursday, takes effect after two weeks. GEO Group is expected to file an appeal, though the company did not respond to a request for comment.

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The Northwest ICE Processing Center is one of the largest detention facilities in the Pacific Northwest. For the past three years, it’s been locked in an ongoing court battle with the state and has repeatedly denied access to health inspectors. There have been over 3,500 complaints about substandard living conditions in the facility, alleging dirty drinking water, food containing bugs, black mold in the showers, sexual assault, and more.

Geo Group, which runs dozens of detention centers across the country, has repeatedly denied these allegations.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who has openly criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, applauded the federal judge’s ruling this week.

“Once again, a judge has told GEO Group that Washington state has a right to ensure the health and wellness of people detained within our borders — period,” Ferguson said. “GEO Group needs to stop fighting a losing court battle and follow the law. The complaints we’re hearing from people held in the facility are alarming. GEO Group says they’re false — if that’s true, they should prove it by letting our health inspectors into the building.”

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The order follows a request for an injunction filed by both Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown in April . The order would allow health inspectors to enter the detention facility, with the exception of administrative and medical areas.

“Everyone deserves basic health and safety, and this is a resounding win to protect the people held at the detention center,” Attorney General Brown said of the ruling. Brown has filed over 60 lawsuits on behalf of the state against the Trump administration’s policies regarding immigration, federal funding, voting rights, and more.

RELATED : Washington asks court to open Tacoma ICE facility to state health inspections

In 2023, former Gov. Jay Inslee passed legislation that made it legal for the state’s Department of Health to inspect private detention facilities. Since then, GEO Group and the state have been in a back-and-forth court battle over whether the state is allowed to regulate a federal contractor.

The Trump administration said in a memo last summer it would pursue detention of all immigrants found illegally in the country, not just those with a criminal history. The administration currently has some of the highest numbers of people being held in detention centers across the country in U.S. history.

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State Government Reporter

Sarah Mizes-Tan leads coverage of Washington state government for KUOW and KNKX and reports stories of people affected by officials’ decisions. Her work reaches audiences across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon through the Northwest News Network.

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