TACOMA, Wash. — Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown are preparing to announce legal action against the Northwest ICE Detention Facility in Tacoma, where state health inspectors say they’ve been blocked from entering despite state law and a federal judge’s order.
The announcement is set for 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, marking the latest development in a three-year standoff between state officials and the facility operators.
In 2023, Washington lawmakers passed a law allowing the Department of Health to inspect private detention facilities, but inspectors have been denied entry nine times since then. The most recent denial came March 20, when inspectors expected to gain access following a federal court ruling in the state’s favor last November…