Use of solitary confinement puts Tacoma’s immigrant detention center under scrutiny
A report this week about how solitary confinement is used at the immigration detention facility in Tacoma has led members of Washington’s congressional delegation to call for a “comprehensive review.”
The report from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights alleged that data shows the Northwest Detention Center ”detains people longer, on average, in solitary confinement than any other dedicated ICE facility in the nation.”
Representatives Adam Smith, Pramila Jayapal, Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck, and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell wrote to the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General on Thursday.
“For years, we have raised concerns about reports of inadequate health care, medical neglect, and the inhumane treatment of individuals detained at the NWDC,” their letter said. “Due to the demonstrated lack of transparency, accountability, and decency documented in the Center for Human Rights report and past reviews conducted by your office, we request an immediate investigation into the recent allegations of violence against detained immigrants and a comprehensive review of the use of solitary confinement at the NWDC.”
The 1,575-bed facility, now called the Northwest ICE Processing Center, is privately owned and operated by The GEO Group.
The company said in a statement: “We strongly reject the allegations in the University of Washington report. All ICE Processing Centers managed by GEO adhere to performance-based national standards first established under President Obama’s Administration by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The ICE performance-based standards govern the use of special management units. As a service provider to a federal agency, GEO is contractually required to meet DHS and ICE policies and standards and plays no role in creating them.”
A regional spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Tanya Román, said in a statement: “ICE is firmly committed to upholding an immigration detention system that prioritizes the health, safety, and welfare of all of those in its care and custody. All persons in ICE custody receive comprehensive medical care at taxpayer expense, to include 24-hour emergency care and third-party private medical facilities if necessary. Any suggestion any person in ICE custody is denied necessary medical treatment is false. Pursuant to ICE’s commitment to the welfare of those in the agency’s custody ICE spends more than $260 million annually on the spectrum of health care services provided to those in our care.”
The UW report said the average length of a solitary confinement stay at the Northwest Detention Center from January 2016 to May 2018 was about 70 days. The national average was about 30 days.
The report also alleged under-reporting, saying that “... a comparison of internal and external data reveals that as many as 86% of NWDC solitary placements during a one year period were neither logged in ICE’s monitoring system nor reported to the public.”
At least one instance of solitary confinement was apparently never registered, the report alleged.
Another allegation in the report is that, against ICE rules, the facility uses solitary confinement on people who are mentally ill and those who exercise their First Amendment rights.
The report says researchers used documents from ICE’s Segregation Review Management System, incident reports, grievance forms, GEO documents, statements from people who were detained, inspection reports, and federal court records. Some of that information came through the Freedom of Information Act.
Issues other than solitary confinement
In their letter to the Inspector General, the senators and representatives also said “our offices have been made aware of serious allegations of violence and abuse against detained immigrants in recent weeks. These recent allegations are even more alarming given the history of retaliation, the significant use of solitary confinement, and a lack of transparency at the NWDC.”
They also addressed the global public health crisis.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading to record levels, including in Pierce County, individuals in immigration detention centers remain extremely vulnerable to outbreaks. Several individuals detained at the NWDC are reportedly on hunger strikes in protest of inadequate policies and a lack of communication regarding the spread and prevention of COVID-19.”
GEO said in its statement: “While the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges, from the very beginning we have taken extensive measures to ensure the health and safety of those in our care and our employees, who are on the front lines making daily sacrifices at the Center. We are proud of the fact that despite significant community spread locally and throughout the State of Washington, there are currently no positive COVID-19 cases for ICE detainees at the Northwest ICE Processing Center.”
