Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has signed into law a sweeping measure that gives the state expansive new oversight authority over all privately run ICE detention facilities, including the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. House Bill 1232, backed by Democrat lawmakers, authorizes unannounced inspections by the state Department of Health and imposes fines of up to $1 million annually for violations—defined solely by the agency.
The bill specifically targets facilities operated by private contractors like The GEO Group, which runs the Tacoma center under a federal contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under the new law, the state can issue fines of $10,000 per violation and enter facilities without prior notice, regardless of federal operations or contracts. This comes in response to lobbying from La Resistencia, a taxpayer-funded, non-citizen-led activist group that has long called for the abolition of ICE and holds weekly protests outside the center.
The GEO Group denounced the legislation as unconstitutional, asserting that the bill violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution by attempting to regulate a federal facility. The company has already sued the state over similar legislation passed in 2023, which was ultimately unenforceable due to federal protections preventing state interference with ICE facilities.
According to the bill, state officials will now inspect inmate conditions, including access to clean water and adequate lighting, though the updated standards remain vaguely defined. The program will cost Washington taxpayers an estimated $1.8 million over the next four years to fund inspections and enforcement procedures.
Democrat Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, who backed a similar measure last year, claimed that state officials had been blocked from entry on multiple occasions and questioned the facility’s transparency. The new law is likely to intensify legal battles between the state and federal government over jurisdiction and authority at immigration centers.
This legislation follows other high-profile confrontations between Democrats and ICE, including attempts by members of Congress to gain unauthorized entry into a New Jersey facility. Some reportedly clashed with ICE agents, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for trespassing on federal property.
