Washington Sues GEO Group to Force Inspections at Tacoma ICE Detention Center Amid Horrific Complaints

Washington state officials are finally pushing back against the lawless behavior of GEO Group, the private prison corporation running the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown announced a lawsuit aimed at forcing GEO to comply with state health inspections after the company denied access to inspectors 10 times—twice even after courts affirmed the state’s legal authority.

This isn’t just a bureaucratic spat. The stakes are life and death. Since the start of 2024, two detainees have died inside the facility and six others have attempted suicide. Complaints from those locked inside paint a grim picture: meals served with bugs, hair, worms, and sometimes raw meat that made dozens sick; drinking water so foul even staff refuse to drink it; dirty, unsafe conditions; lack of clean clothing; and abuse by staff that goes ignored.

One detainee described a dinner of raw meat so contaminated that many refused to eat it, but hunger forced others to take the risk—resulting in widespread illness the next day. Another reported that requests for clean clothes were met with used underwear and socks reeking of odor. Water quality inside the detention center is so poor that staff bring their own bottles, underscoring the dangerous neglect detainees endure.

GEO Group’s refusal to allow inspections is a blatant attempt to keep these abuses hidden from public scrutiny. Washington law explicitly grants the state authority to inspect private detention centers for health and safety, but GEO has repeatedly defied this mandate. “GEO Group is not above the law,” said Attorney General Brown. “They must allow health inspectors to inspect the Tacoma facility.”

This legal battle is part of a broader pattern of private prison companies evading accountability while profiting from the detention of immigrants. The conditions at Tacoma are a stark example of how the for-profit model incentivizes neglect and abuse, with deadly consequences for vulnerable people trapped behind locked doors.

Washington’s lawsuit demands transparency and enforcement of basic health standards. It’s a critical fight to protect human rights and expose the systemic failures of private immigration detention. We’ll be watching closely as the courts weigh in on whether GEO Group’s greed and obstruction will continue to put lives at risk.