The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded private prisons company GEO Group a $1.5 billion contract to continue operating the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, despite reports of inconsistent medical care, poor water quality, and reported allegations of abuse at the facility.
The contract renews GEO’s previous 10-year agreement, which ended last year, and follows a year of deliberations. The facility holds 1,635 beds, according to federal records. GEO Group is the private company that operates the center for the U.S. government.
The renewal comes amid reports of waves of sickness and inconsistent medical care among detainees, poor water quality, feces in detainee food, alleged sexual abuse, human rights violations, and a lack of accountability from the federal government on violations of standards at the facility. GEO Group continues to fight state health inspectors from touring the Tacoma facility and refuses to pay detained workers Washington’s minimum wage for work done during their detention.
“We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to assist the federal government in meeting its immigration enforcement priorities,” said GEO Group CEO and founder George Zoley. “The Northwest ICE Processing Center plays an important role in helping meet the need for federal immigration processing center bedspace.”
As part of the contract, GEO will provide security, food services, maintenance, medical care, and transportation services.
ICE had previously sought to purchase turn-key detention facilities in several states, including Washington, through a “Request for Information” issued in July. In that document, ICE said federal supremacy rules would shield the agency from local or state government oversight. Many Seattle-area cities began banning new detention facilities within their jurisdictions. It remains unclear whether the new Tacoma contract includes the same exemptions, as the terms have not been made public.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The contract renews a private company's role in immigration detention despite documented concerns about conditions and accountability.
- Detainees at the facility have alleged poor treatment; the renewal suggests federal prioritization of bedspace over oversight.
- The contract's terms, including possible exemptions from state and local laws, remain undisclosed.
Background
The Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, is one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the region, operated by GEO Group, a private prison company. The previous 10-year contract expired in 2023, and the new $1.5 billion contract extends GEO's operation of the 1,635-bed facility.
Key Perspectives
GEO Group CEO George Zoley: praised the “40-year public-private partnership with ICE” and said the facility “plays an important role in helping meet the need for federal immigration processing center bedspace.”
Reports and advocacy groups: have documented waves of sickness, inconsistent medical care, poor water quality, feces in detainee food, alleged sexual abuse, and human rights violations at the facility.
What to Watch
- Whether the contract includes exemptions from state and local laws, as ICE sought in earlier procurement documents.
- The outcome of GEO Group's legal fight against state health inspectors seeking to tour the facility.
- Future efforts by Seattle-area cities to ban detention facilities and how they intersect with federal contracts.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedICE awarded GEO Group a $1.5 billion contract to continue running the Tacoma detention center.KUOW: “The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded the private prisons company GEO Group a $1.5 billion contract to continue running the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.”
- SupportedThe contract renewal follows reports of illness, inconsistent medical care and reported allegations of sexual abuse at the center.KUOW: “despite reports of waves of sickness and inconsistent medical care among detainees at the facility, poor water quality, feces in detainee food, reported allegations of sexual abuse”
- SupportedGEO’s previous contract was for 10 years and ended last year.KUOW: “GEO Group’s previous 10-year contract ended last year.”
- SupportedThe contract renewal followed a year of deliberations.KUOW: “The contract renewal, which follows a year of deliberations”
- SupportedThe facility holds 1,635 beds, according to federal records.KUOW: “The facility, in the Tacoma tideflats, holds 1,635 beds, according to federal records.”
- SupportedReports about the facility also include poor water quality, feces in detainee food, human rights violations and a lack of federal accountability for standards violations.KUOW: “poor water quality, feces in detainee food, reported allegations of sexual abuse, human right’s violations, and a lack of accountability from the federal government on violations of standards at the facility.”
- SupportedGEO continues to fight state health inspectors touring the facility and refuses to pay detained workers the state minimum wage for their work.KUOW: “GEO Group continues to fight state health inspectors from touring the Tacoma facility, and refuses to pay detained workers the state’s minimum wage for work done during their detention.”
- SupportedGEO CEO and founder George Zoley said, “We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to assist the federal government in meeting its immigration enforcement priorities.”KUOW: ““We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to assist the federal government in meeting its immigration enforcement priorities,” said GEO Group CEO and founder George Zoley.”
- SupportedZoley said, “The Northwest ICE Processing Center plays an important role in helping meet the need for federal immigration processing center bedspace.”KUOW: ““The Northwest ICE Processing Center plays an important role in helping meet the need for federal immigration processing center bedspace.””
- SupportedIn July, ICE issued a Request for Information seeking to purchase turn-key detention facilities in several states, including Washington.KUOW: “Back in July ICE issued a “Request for Information” looking to purchase turn-key detention facilities in several states, including in Washington.”
- SupportedThe Request for Information said federal supremacy rules would shield ICE from local or state government oversight.KUOW: “In its Request for Information, ICE said “federal supremacy” rules would shield them from local or state government oversight.”
- SupportedIt is unclear whether the Tacoma contract includes the same exemptions because the deal’s details have not been made public.KUOW: “It’s unclear whether ICE’s new contract with the Tacoma facility includes these same exemptions, because details of the deal have not been made public.”