Hundreds Rally Outside Tacoma Immigration Detention Center on Labor Day

(TACOMA) More than 850 people rallied outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center on Labor Day, demanding urgent action on what they describe as dangerous, degrading conditions inside the Tacoma detention center. Organized by the International Migrants Alliance, Tanggol Migrante, La Resistencia, Bayan USA, and allied labor and faith groups, the marchers called for releases, stronger oversight, and in some cases permanent closure of the facility as detainee numbers climbed near or above its official capacity.

Organizers and attorneys say the NWIPC, commonly known to residents simply as the Tacoma detention center, is holding an estimated 1,400 to 1,600 people, pressing against its 1,575-bed capacity. They point to accounts of raw or maggot-infested food, limited access to medical care, and severe overcrowding, including reports of up to 24 people sharing a single bathroom. Activists say conditions have worsened in 2025, with detainees staging hunger strikes to protest food quality, access to care, and delays that leave them in prolonged confinement without fair hearings.

Who rallied and why

Labor Day’s demonstration drew migrants, union members, and families from across the country, many connected to the Filipino community through the International Migrants Alliance and Bayan USA. Speakers linked the spike in detentions to broader forces that push people to leave their home countries, while tying the Tacoma facility to local harms:

• Stressed families and community disruption
• Workers afraid to report abuses
• Neighborhoods impacted by deportations

Advocates say the political climate under President Trump’s second term has brought intensified enforcement in the United States 🇺🇸, and they describe Tacoma as an epicenter of those policies in the Pacific Northwest.

State law vs. federal authority

Washington State’s new oversight law, signed in May 2025 by Governor Bob Ferguson, created a legal collision with federal authority inside the NWIPC. Key elements of the state law:

• Gives the state Department of Health power to inspect private immigration detention centers for:
  • Food safety
  • Medical care
  • Water quality
• Allows fines up to $10,000 per violation, capped at $1 million

Although the law took effect immediately, state officials say they were denied entry for inspections, triggering a standoff over who can hold a federally contracted facility to account when complaints pile up.

The dispute highlights a legal and practical tension: state public-health oversight versus federal control of immigration detention operations.

Complaints and reported incidents

Advocates and state officials say complaints are mounting:

• Over 1,500 complaints since June 2023 reported to state officials
• Allegations include:
  • Foul or spoiled food
  • Shortages of beds
  • Long waits for medical attention (days in some cases)
• Serious incidents in the past year:
  • Two deaths
  • 15 suicide attempts

La Resistencia and local attorneys say detainees continue to report unsanitary conditions and delayed care, adding urgency to calls for immediate changes.

Operator and federal response

GEO Group, which operates the Tacoma detention center under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), disputes many of the allegations. The company says the facility meets federal standards and argues Washington’s new law is unconstitutional because it targets a site run under federal authority. GEO has signaled it will continue challenging state oversight in court.

ICE maintains that:

• The agency conducts inspections under federal detention standards
• Detainees are screened on arrival for medical needs, sexual abuse risk, and suicide risk
• Procedures exist to safeguard property and verify identity at release

However, researchers and civil liberties groups contest the effectiveness of federal reviews.

Critiques of federal inspections

• University of Washington Center for Human Rights researchers and civil liberties organizations call federal reviews “compliance theater.”
• Analysis by VisaVerge.com indicates independent monitors have flagged repeat violations at private immigration facilities nationwide.
• Recommendations from monitors include:
  • Stronger, unannounced inspections
  • Public reporting so families, attorneys, and communities can verify whether operators fix hazards or merely pass paper audits

State Oversight Clash and Contract Countdown

The political and legal stakes are rising as the ICE–GEO contract is set to expire in September 2025. That deadline creates potential leverage for change:

• Local lawmakers and labor leaders see the contract window as an opportunity to:
  • Demand stricter conditions
  • Seek operational shifts
  • Push toward potential closure
• Community organizations in Tacoma are pressuring elected officials to use the contract deadline to secure concrete improvements

Washington’s law aimed to give the state tools to intervene when health and safety are at risk, but with inspectors turned away, the practical impact is limited until courts rule on the law’s enforceability inside a federal detention setting.

Public health advocates warn: if the law is blocked or delayed, reported problems — spoiled food, poor sanitation, and slow or denied medical care — may continue unabated while the facility operates at or over capacity.

Key public officials and labor voices

Elected officials and union leaders involved include:

• U.S. Rep. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton) — pressing for transparency on conditions and costs
• ICE Seattle Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley — oversees regional enforcement
• Machinists International President Brian Bryant — joined calls to protect immigrant workers and push back against enforcement used to intimidate organizing
• Washington State Labor Council — aligned with migrant rights groups, highlighting harms from workplace raids and sudden detentions

The overlapping authorities—GEO Group (operator), ICE (federal rule-setter), and the state (public health oversight)—often result in finger-pointing and delays in remedies that directly affect detainees.

Human impact and labor tensions

Behind the policy disputes are personal stories of families and workers. Notable recent cases stirred protests:

• Maximo Londonio (“IAM Max”) — union member and lawful permanent resident detained in May
• Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry — disabled Army veteran and green card holder detained during a naturalization hearing

Labor and immigrant groups argue enforcement can be used to intimidate workers who speak up about safety, wages, or discrimination.

Inside the NWIPC, hunger strikes have been used as protest:

• Detainees refuse meals to highlight food quality, medical access, and long waits for hearings
• Attorneys report:
  • Cramped cells
  • Difficulty reaching clinic staff
  • Fear of retaliation for complaining

Families outside cope with juggling school drop-offs, rent, and restrictive visitation procedures while facing the risk of sudden transfers or deportations far from Tacoma.

The Labor Day rally and community response

The Labor Day demonstration made these human stories visible. Marchers carried signs calling the facility a “stain on Tacoma” and demanded dignity for detainees. Speakers from Filipino, Latino, Muslim, and Black communities connected local detentions to global displacement—ranging from labor exploitation to conflict and climate stress.

Their demands included:

• Real, unannounced inspections
• Public reporting of findings
• Strong penalties for ignored standards
• Broader immigration reform at the national level

What’s next: courtroom, contract, and daily life

The outcome now depends on two main axes:

1. Courtroom
   • If judges block or limit the state’s oversight law, Washington’s Department of Health may remain unable to test water, inspect kitchens, or check medical units inside NWIPC.
2. Contract
   • If the ICE–GEO contract is not renewed in September 2025, or is renegotiated, the government might impose stricter requirements or shift operations.

Meanwhile, federal rules still govern daily operations:

• ICE detention standards require intake screenings for medical conditions, suicide risk, and sexual abuse risk
• Policies exist for property storage and identity checks at release
• ICE posts facility schedules and contact details on its website; critics say published standards and inspection summaries don’t always reflect detainees’ lived experiences

For official facility information, readers can consult the ICE page for the Northwest ICE Processing Center: ICE: Northwest ICE Processing Center.

Ongoing organizing and legal steps

Grassroots groups plan to sustain pressure this fall with rallies and coordinated actions tied to labor campaigns and court hearings. Specific guidance from organizers and attorneys includes:

• La Resistencia urges families to:
  • Document food, water, and medical issues in writing
  • File complaints with state and federal offices
• Attorneys encourage detainees to:
  • Request medical records
  • Seek mental health evaluations when appropriate

These steps aim to build documentation that can support inspections, legal challenges, and public advocacy.

Local stakes and concluding questions

For Tacoma residents, the NWIPC is both a local concern and part of a national debate. The facility sits close to homes, schools, and small businesses, and city leaders—while having limited direct authority—face public pressure when incidents draw ambulances, hunger strikes, or crowds to the gate.

As Labor Day’s crowd dispersed, several urgent questions remained:

• Will inspectors be allowed into the NWIPC under Washington’s new law?
• Will ICE and GEO renew the contract as-is, renegotiate terms, or decline renewal?
• Will detainees see real improvements — safe food, clean water, timely medical care, and fair hearings — or face another year of uncertainty inside a facility already near its limit?

Those outcomes, and the decisions in the weeks ahead, will test the balance between federal power, state responsibility, and basic human dignity at Tacoma’s Tideflats.