Activists who want ICE abolished skew the truth. The NWIPC is safe, secure and humane | Opinion

In a recent article published by The News Tribune, criminal justice reporter Peter Talbot cites two activist groups — Detention Watch Network and La Resistencia — as sources for information about the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma. Both groups have long called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Relying on the claims of activist groups creates an unfair and skewed depiction of the NWIPC.

We understand that immigration is a difficult issue for many Americans. One thing all Americans can agree on is that those who are detained by the federal government while awaiting a determination of their immigration status deserve safe, secure and humane treatment. GEO and its employees, including those who are employed at the NWIPC in Tacoma, are fully committed to ensuring that all persons in their care are treated with respect and dignity. They, in turn, deserve no less from those who disparage their professionalism and dedication in order to advance a politically motivated objective of abolishing ICE.

As a long-standing service provider to the federal government, GEO plays no role in promoting or advocating for immigration laws or in setting immigration policies. If activist groups wish to change our country’s immigration laws, they should seek to change them through their elected members of Congress.

The NWIPC has safely and humanely operated in Tacoma for over 20 years, contributing more than $40 million a year to the local economy and providing needed services to the federal government under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

As a federal government services provider, we comply with the agency’s Performance-Based National Detention Standards that were initially established in 2009 during the Obama Administration. The NWIPC provides around-the-clock access to medical care, which includes full access to physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists and psychiatrists. NWIPC residents also have access to off-site medical specialists, imaging facilities, and local community hospitals and medical facilities as needed.

All individuals assigned to the NWIPC by ICE are provided three high-quality daily meals, based on culturally sensitive menus that are approved by ICE and by a registered dietitian. The NWIPC also provides access to legal counsel, religious worship opportunities for all denominations — administered by on-staff chaplains who facilitate religious programming and interactions with volunteer ministry personnel — as well as recreational amenities, including artificial turf soccer fields, exercise equipment, flat screen TVs in living areas and leisure and legal libraries.

Partisan attacks against our company and its employees, which are intended to abolish ICE by attacking the contractors who provide nearly all the agency’s detention bed capacity, do a disservice to the men and women who work tirelessly at the NWIPC to see that the needs of those housed there by our federal government are met.

Let’s set aside the rancor and the bias and work together to see that the laws established by our elected representatives are followed — and to find common ground in ensuring that all who are detained while awaiting disposition of their immigration status are afforded safe, secure and humane treatment.

Bruce Scott is the facility administrator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center.