Washington Sues GEO Group Over Inhumane Conditions at Tacoma ICE Detention Center

Washington state officials are taking legal action against GEO Group, the private company running the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, to end their obstruction of critical health inspections. Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking a court order compelling GEO to admit state health inspectors and investigate more than 3,500 complaints from detainees about the facility’s conditions.

Since 2024, two detainees have died at the Tacoma center and six others have attempted suicide, according to the governor’s office. Yet GEO has denied entry to health inspectors at least ten times, including twice after a federal appeals court affirmed Washington’s authority to conduct unannounced inspections under a 2023 state law.

“The law is clear: We have the legal authority to inspect private detention centers in our state,” Ferguson said. “GEO Group has continued to obstruct our efforts to conduct these critical health inspections. That is unacceptable.” Brown added, “GEO Group is not above the law. Their refusal to comply with basic health and safety inspections should trouble all Washingtonians.”

The lawsuit comes amid a nationwide surge in immigration detention under the Trump administration, with ICE detentions up 70% since the start of the president’s second term. ICE itself reported 46 deaths in custody or contracted facilities since 2021, the highest toll in two decades.

Detainee complaints paint a grim picture of life inside the Tacoma facility. They describe contaminated food containing plastic, metal shards, and insects, as well as spoiled or undercooked meals. One particularly disturbing report involved raw meat served at dinner that caused illness. Other allegations include poor drinking water quality, overcrowded bathrooms, used and unsanitary clothing, failure to sanitize bedding after infectious outbreaks, denial of prescribed medications, and even abuse and sexual assault by staff.

GEO Group has not publicly responded to the latest lawsuit. The company has faced prior legal challenges in Washington, including a 2021 federal jury verdict ordering GEO to pay $23.2 million for violating state minimum wage laws by paying detainees just $1 per day for labor. That ruling was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2025, and GEO is now seeking Supreme Court review.

Washington’s 2023 law set health and safety standards for private detention centers and authorized surprise inspections. Though initially blocked, the 9th Circuit lifted the injunction earlier this year, but GEO’s ongoing refusal to allow inspections has forced the state to seek a preliminary injunction to enforce compliance while the case moves forward.

This lawsuit highlights the ongoing crisis in private immigration detention: a for-profit system operating with little transparency, rampant neglect, and deadly consequences for vulnerable detainees. Washington officials are standing up to GEO’s defiance, demanding accountability and humane treatment for those trapped inside the Tacoma ICE facility.