WA inspectors must be let inside Tacoma immigrant detention center, judge rules

The private company that runs a Tacoma immigrant detention center must allow state inspectors inside after years of refusing, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

But U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle ruled the Florida-based operator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center, The GEO Group, doesn’t need to admit officials from the state Department of Health to administrative and medical areas run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Settle’s order takes effect in two weeks, giving GEO Group time to appeal.

The judge ruled the state should be able to enforce its laws at the facility, which holds immigrant detainees before their release back into the United States or deportation.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/07/09/wa-inspectors-must-be-let-inside-tacoma-immigrant-detention-center-judge-rules/