Press Releases

On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined colleagues from the Washington and Oregon congressional delegations in demanding answers and transparency into ongoing efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to purchase existing immigration detention centers currently owned and operated by private prison companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic.  

“We are deeply concerned about the potential purchase of these facilities, as it appears to be an attempt to circumvent oversight and accountability at detention facilities,” wrote the Members. “Both GEO Group and DHS have stated that acquiring these facilities is aimed, at least in part, at circumventing attempts by states to conduct oversight at immigration detention centers located within their borders.”  

The Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma, Washington is the largest ICE facility in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest in the nation. ICE has a contract with GEO group to own and operate the facility. In June 2025, Rep. Larsen toured NWIPC and heard from Lelo Juarez, a Skagit County union leader detained by ICE, about poor conditions inside the facility. Larsen and other members of Washington state’s congressional delegation have previously written to ICE to express their concerns about conditions at the facility. 

“As of March 2026, the Washington State Department of Health received over 3,500 complaints about Northwest Detention Center. Individuals have reported being sexually assaulted by an officer in their unit; unsanitary conditions, including unclean drinking water, worms, hair, and metal in food, and black mold in showers; and insufficient medical care,” continued the Members. “State oversight is an essential way to help ensure that the people detained in these facilities at U.S. taxpayer expense are being treated with dignity. Attempting to circumvent such oversight by purchasing substandard detention facilities and continuing to allow such inhumane conditions to persist is unacceptable.”  

In 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed a law guaranteeing state health inspectors access to privately-owned detention facilities. GEO Group has prevented officials from the Washington State Department of Health from inspecting the facility since 2023, which Washington state is currently challenging in court. ICE’s contract with GEO Group for NWIPC expires on October 27, 2026. If ICE buys NWIPC, it could limit the Washington State Department of Health’s ability to inspect the facility.  

The full text of the letter can be found here.  

In addition to Rep. Larsen, Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Emily Randall (WA-02), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Janelle S. Bynum (OR-05), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Adam Smith (WA-09) and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) also signed the letter.  

Larsen Fights to Hold ICE Accountable 

In July 2026, Rep. Larsen conducted an oversight visit of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) facility in Ferndale to get answers for the community about the facility’s operations. Last week, Rep. Larsen conducted an oversight visit ofICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) facility in Ferndale to follow up on questions that he had about HSI’s involvement in ERO operations. 

In June 2025, Rep. Larsen conducted an oversight visit of NWIPC and met with Lelo Juarez, a Skagit County union leader and activist whom ICE detained in March 2025. 
 
In Congress, Rep. Larsen has refused to vote for ICE funding without placing additional guardrails on the agency and requiring that ICE follow the same rules as every other local, state and federal law enforcement agency. 
 
Rep. Larsen supports strengthening accountability and oversight of ICE operations and DHS detention facilities, including:  

• Prohibiting ICE officers from wearing masks during arrests;  

• Requiring ICE officers to be trained in de-escalation;  

• Prohibiting masked ICE officers from using restricted equipment, such as tear gas;  

• Ending family and child detention;  

• Ending DHS’s use of private detention facilities;  

• Providing individuals in immigration detention with unlimited communication with legal counsel;  

• Repealing the Alien Enemies Act, which President Trump has used to deport immigrants from Venezuela with no due process by accusing them of “invading” the United States; and  

• A complete and independent investigation into the killings of unarmed civilians.  

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