Washington state seeks oversight of Tacoma ICE center
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A detainee walks through the Northwest ICE Processing Center on Dec. 16, 2019, in Tacoma, Washington. Photo by Jovelle Tamayo/For The Washington Post via Getty Images.
Washington state lawmakers are seeking greater oversight of private detention facilities like the ICE center in Tacoma, as immigrant rights groups report a sharp rise in the number of people detained there.
Why it matters: Advocates say conditions at the Northwest ICE Processing Center have worsened as more people — including at least one U.S. permanent resident — have been sent there as part of President Trump's immigration crackdown.
The latest: House Bill 1232, which had a public hearing this week in the state Senate, would allow the state Department of Health to conduct inspections of privately run detention facilities in Washington state.
- That would include the Tacoma ICE detention center, which is run by The GEO Group, a for-profit company.
- Under the bill, the Health Department would set rules about access to phones, medical services, and hot and cold running water, along with standards for things like lighting and food safety.
- State inspectors would be allowed to enter the facilities at any time and fine companies up to $10,000 per violation.
State of play: The measure has cleared the state House and awaits action in the Senate.
By the numbers: An attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project estimated that between 1,400 and 1,500 people were detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center as of Wednesday, nearing the center's capacity of 1,575 people, The News Tribune reported.
- "In less than two months, the population has doubled and conditions have worsened," Perla Vasquez, a member of the advocacy group La Resistencia, said during a Senate committee hearing March 24.
- Per data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), as recently as March 17 there were 880 detainees at the Tacoma facility (which represents a more modest uptick from 693 in December).
The other side: Neither ICE or The GEO Group responded to questions from Axios about the number of detainees at the Tacoma facility or the conditions inside.
Yes, but: A spokesperson for The GEO Group wrote in an email to Axios that the company believes the proposal in Washington's Legislature is unconstitutional, as would be "any effort by a state to regulate a federally contracted facility."
By the numbers: The state Health Department says it has received more than 1,500 complaints about the Northwest ICE Processing Center since June 2023.
- Nearly 100 complaints were about water quality or availability, and more than 400 were about medical issues, according to an email sent to state lawmakers and shared with Axios.
- Other complaints pertained to problems such as unsanitary living conditions, poor air quality, mold and contaminated food.
Between the lines: Washington passed a law requiring state inspections of private detention facilities in 2023, but a federal judge struck down much of it last year, ruling that it "impermissibly discriminates against GEO" and its Tacoma facility.
- The state is appealing that ruling.
Zoom in: The new proposal includes a broader definition of a private detention center, so it would also apply to Martin Hall, a juvenile facility run by a not-for-profit company, lawmakers said.
What's next: House Bill 1232 is scheduled for a vote Monday in the Senate Human Services Committee.