Washington State Asks Court to Force GEO Group to Allow Health Inspectors at Tacoma Detention Facility

Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown filed for a court order to force GEO Group, the private operator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, to admit Washington State Department of Health inspectors. State inspectors have been denied entry ten times since 2023, including most recently on April 20 when they sought to investigate reports of foul-tasting water and possible legionella risk. The state cites more than 3,500 detainee complaints about facility conditions in seeking the preliminary injunction.