Washington Officials Sue GEO Group to Force Health Inspections at Tacoma ICE Detention Center

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown are taking legal action against GEO Group, the private company running the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, for repeatedly blocking state health inspectors from entering the facility. According to Brown’s office, inspectors have been denied access on ten separate occasions despite mounting evidence of dangerous and unsanitary conditions inside the detention center.

The lawsuit aims to compel GEO Group to comply with Washington state law, which grants the government authority to conduct health and safety inspections in private detention facilities. This comes after more than 3,500 complaints from detainees alleging unsafe food, medical neglect, and filthy living conditions. The situation has become dire: two detainees have died in custody since 2024, and six others have attempted suicide.

At a news conference, Attorney General Brown did not mince words. “Enough is enough,” he said. “People are being harmed in this facility. And inaction is no longer acceptable.” Governor Ferguson echoed the urgency and legal backing for the state’s intervention: “The law is clear: We have the legal authority to inspect private detention centers in our state. 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.”

Detainees paint a grim picture of life inside the Tacoma facility. One reported that the water tastes “disgusting” and is unsafe to drink, forcing staff to bring their own bottled water. Another complaint highlighted that only two bathrooms were functioning for roughly 100 detainees. Additional reports describe detainees being denied clean, dry clothes and sheets not being washed even after housing individuals with contagious diseases like COVID-19 or chickenpox.

GEO Group’s refusal to allow inspections raises serious questions about the company’s accountability and the safety of those it detains. Brown emphasized that Washington law is designed to bring transparency to these otherwise secretive private prisons. “The fact that GEO Group resists basic health and safety inspections and refuses to follow the law should trouble all Washingtonians,” he said.

GEO Group declined to comment directly and referred questions to ICE, which has not yet responded to requests for comment.

This lawsuit is the latest chapter in ongoing battles over the conditions inside private immigration detention centers, which have long been criticized for inhumane treatment, lack of oversight, and profit-driven neglect. As the state pushes back against GEO Group’s obstruction, the stakes could not be higher for detainees suffering in silence behind locked doors.