Washington files for court order to force inspections at GEO Group detention center after thousands of complaints

Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced at a press conference that the attorney general’s office filed a motion in federal court on the morning of the event seeking a preliminary injunction to compel the GEO Group to allow Washington Department of Health (DOH) inspectors into the privately operated Northwest ICE Processing Center.

The filing, Brown said, asks a federal judge to stop the company from blocking health and safety inspections so DOH can investigate what the state describes as thousands of complaints alleging unsafe and unsanitary conditions. “We have received over 3,500 complaints about the conditions here,” Governor Bob Ferguson said, citing reports that include contaminated food and inadequate medical care.

The legal move follows legislation passed in 2023 that the state says clearly authorizes DOH to inspect private detention facilities and recent rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that, the attorney general said, rejected many of the GEO Group’s legal arguments. “This is not just a legal obligation. It is a moral obligation,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “The food, the water, the air is all unacceptable.”

Ferguson recounted prior litigation against the company and a court judgment requiring GEO to pay more than $23 million in earlier cases, saying the company has appealed previous rulings but continues to resist state oversight. “The GEO Group is not above the law,” the governor said.

Malu Chavez, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, urged the state’s action and described the human toll of detention. “Some of our clients ... are forced to remain detained while the government appeals their case,” Chavez said, adding that conditions can drive people to give up on their cases and that the organization documents medical neglect, substandard food and solitary confinement.

DOH assistant secretary for environmental public health Lauren Jenks said the department has already shared water-safety data with GEO Group and offered technical assistance to develop a water-management plan; if inspectors gain access and find urgent hazards, she said, DOH can provide immediate advice or direction and will refer alleged criminal conduct to law enforcement. “Our approach isn’t always punitive. It’s to get it right,” Jenks said.

Reporters asked how quickly a hearing on the preliminary-injunction motion could be scheduled and whether a favorable ruling would produce immediate remedies for people inside the facility. Brown said preliminary-injunction motions often move quickly and that the timing is ultimately for the district court judge to set. He added that if the court orders inspection access, DOH would carry out investigations and the state could pursue enforcement remedies described in the 2023 law. On the possibility of criminal charges, Brown said allegations that rise to crimes would be referred to prosecutors for review.

The attorney general’s filing and the governor’s remarks do not by themselves produce inspections; the state is now asking the federal court to order access. The district court must decide whether to grant the preliminary injunction; GEO Group is expected to oppose the motion. The governor said state officials will continue to pursue accountability and transparency for people detained in Washington.

The officials took questions from reporters after their statements; they did not announce a court date at the press conference.