Federal judge authorizes health inspections at Northwest ICE Processing Center
A judge on Thursday sided with the State of Washington’s request for the state health department to inspect the Northwest Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Process Center, following over 3,500 complaints from detainees about the center’s conditions.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown announced in April that the state would seek a federal court order to stop GEO Group from blocking state health department inspections of the facility.
GEO Group, one of the largest private prison operators in the nation, has blocked state health department inspectors from entering the facility 10 times, according to a news release issued Thursday by the state.
In a legal response to the state’s request filed last month, GEO Group argued that the state “sued the wrong party” and the motion would not succeed since ICE made the decision to deny access, according to court records.
The corporation also argued that allegations of public health concerns don’t outweigh the federal government’s compelling interest to control access to detention areas, court records say.
“Granting the requested injunction would not merely permit a health inspection; it would displace ICE’s access determination, interfere with federal custody operations, and compromise the orderly administration of a secure federal detention facility,” the GEO Group’s motion said.
U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle granted the state of Washington’s motion and the Washington Department of Health’s motion for a preliminary injunction Thursday, the Washington Office of the Attorney General announced in a news release.
That means that GEO Group must allow state health inspectors inside their facilities to investigate - except for administrative and medical areas controlled by ICE, the release said.
The orders take effect in two weeks, giving GEO Group time to file an appeal.
Representatives from GEO Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment via email and phone Thursday evening.
“The complaints we’re hearing from people held in the facility are alarming,” Ferguson said in the news release. “GEO Group says they’re false — if that’s true, they should prove it by letting our health inspectors into the building.”
Complaints of unsafe conditions
Since 2024, two people have died while detained at the Tacoma facility, and six more have attempted suicide, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
Detainees reported the food “appears rotten, has been served on dirty trays, and contains bugs,” the news release said.
One report noted that people were served raw meat with blood visible inside.
“Many of us in the unit (54 people) chose to throw it away, but others made the decision to still eat it because they were hungry,” the complaint said. “Today, around 15 people woke up sick due to the food from last night.”
One detainee reported that the drinking water “tastes disgusting” and that detention center employees bring in their own water bottles because “they know the water here is not safe to drink.”
The release also says there are reports that bedsheets aren’t washed after someone has been sick, and that black mold grows in the showers. A detainee with mental health issues soiled himself and was refused clean clothing by a guard, the release said.
In 2023, Washington passed HB 1470 setting basic health and safety standards for private detention facilities and allowing the DOH to perform unannounced inspections.
