Washington State Takes Legal Action to Force Private ICE Detention Center Inspections Amid Horrific Complaints

Washington State officials are escalating their fight against The GEO Group, the private company running the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, by seeking a court order to force health inspections at the facility. Despite clear legal authority affirmed by an appeals court, GEO has denied access to state Department of Health inspectors at least 10 times, including twice since the court ruling.

Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown announced the lawsuit amid a growing pile of more than 3,500 complaints from detainees detailing horrific conditions inside the facility. These reports describe medical emergencies ignored, food contaminated with burned plastic, metal, and worms, unsanitary living quarters, and even sexual abuse by staff. Some detainees reported being served raw meat and waking up sick, while others described disgusting, unsafe drinking water and a severe lack of functioning bathrooms.

The situation has had deadly consequences. Since 2024, two detainees have died at the Tacoma facility, and six more have attempted suicide. This comes as ICE detention numbers have surged 70% since the start of President Trump’s second term, with 46 deaths in ICE custody or contracted facilities reported last month—the highest in two decades.

GEO Group has a documented history of violating labor laws by paying detainees as little as $1 per day for work, a practice Washington courts have ruled illegal, resulting in a $23.2 million judgment upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Yet the company continues to flout state regulations.

Washington’s HB 1470 law, enacted in 2023, mandates health and safety standards for private detention centers and grants the Department of Health authority to conduct unannounced inspections. After initial legal challenges blocked the law, the Ninth Circuit lifted the injunction in March 2026, making it clear that GEO must comply. But GEO’s ongoing refusal to allow inspections prompted the state to seek judicial intervention once again.

Governor Ferguson stated bluntly, "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." Attorney General Brown added, "GEO Group is not above the law: they must allow health inspectors to inspect the Tacoma facility."

This legal battle shines a harsh light on the opaque, for-profit detention system that prioritizes profits over human dignity and safety. The refusal to allow health inspections not only violates state law but endangers the lives of thousands of vulnerable people trapped inside.

As the Trump administration expands immigration detention, Washington’s fight to hold private prison operators accountable is a crucial front in the struggle for transparency, humane treatment, and justice in immigration enforcement. We will keep tracking this case and the ongoing crisis inside ICE detention centers.