Murray Presses Secretary Mullin on GEO Group’s Contract Extension at the ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Warns Obstruction Won’t Stand

Senator Murray demands answers and calls out GEO Group’s neglectful, inhumane management of the facility Murray : “One way or another, the truth will come out and there will be accountability. History will remember who stood in the way of reasonable oversight to cover up egregious violations of human rights.” Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding answers on the GEO Group’s 10-year contract extension issued for the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma, Washington. “I write with grave concern regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to further entrench immigration detention in Washington state for at least the next 10 years,” Senator Murray wrote. “I, along with other members of the Washington and Oregon delegations, have repeatedly raised concerns regarding GEO Group’s operation of the detention center and detainees’ insufficient access to medical care, inadequate nutrition, and barriers inhibiting attorneys from providing legal counsel to detained clients. Yet, ICE is continuing to arrest and detain hundreds of immigrants in Washington, including those with no criminal conviction, exacerbating conditions in detention and creating additional burdens on the federal and immigration court system.” Senator Murray detailed repeated complaints and reports about unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the facility, including a lack of protections against sexual abuse and assault, and noted: “ In 2023, the Washington State Legislature granted public health officials the authority to conduct health inspections of private detention facilities. GEO Group has repeatedly denied state health inspectors access to the facility as the state sought to enforce the law, prompting the state to sue the detention center operator. While that litigation continues, ICE and GEO Group reportedly entered into a temporary contract that contains language purporting to override state and local law and provides significant additional protections to GEO Group, including a provision requiring the federal government to cover the company’s legal fees. This language continues a dangerous trend in weakening basic protections for detainees and workers, while shielding private prison companies from accountability for abuse. It also puts taxpayers on the hook for GEO Group’s potential legal violations and inhumane treatment of detainees.” “Instead of working in tandem with state and local governments, ICE appears to be pursuing a course that would diminish lawful local oversight of the detention facility, evade oversight, and weaken basic protections for detainees and workers,” Senator Murray wrote. “ICE’s effort to rapidly cement the detention center operator contract for another 10 years appears to be an attempt to avoid the necessary public scrutiny that would otherwise accompany the establishment of new detention facilities and operation of these facilities.” “ Nobody in the custody of the United States government should be denied basic medical care, served food that makes them sick, held in isolation for weeks, or worse. The detention conditions under this administration have been nothing short of despicable. And even as this administration has tried to obstruct oversight and conceal its wrongdoing, the American people are already horrified by what little they have been allowed to see ,” Senator Murray concluded and requested information on how the contract was enacted and how ICE will uphold detention standards. Senator Murray has spoken out forcefully and consistently against the Trump administration’s cruel and counterproductive mass deportation campaign and the egregious treatment by ICE and DHS of American citizens, legal immigrants, and undocumented immigrants. As Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, she led Democrats’ efforts fighting tooth and nail to secure meaningful reforms in law to rein in ICE and Border Patrol—which Republicans ultimately refused altogether and chose to skirt Democrats by delivering another massive blank check for the agencies with no accountability. Earlier this year, at a Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—Murray pressed Secretary Markwayne Mullin on the conduct of ICE and Border Patrol and Republicans’ refusal to enact reforms into law. Senator Murray also joined dozens of her Senate colleagues in calling for stronger accountability measures for ICE officers, and urging DHS to fulfill its previous commitments to deploy and expand the usage of body-worn cameras, strengthen officer identification requirements, and review enforcement protocols. In June, Senator Murray released a video calling for an independent investigation in response to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE, and demanding ICE release all of the footage of the tragedy. In March, Senator Murray released a video about the numerous violent shootings we are seeing from Trump’s reckless ICE and CBP agents across the country—and the urgent need to rein in these rogue agencies. Senator Murray highlighted the stories of Marimar Martinez , Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis , Carlos Jimenez , Francisco Longoria , and Carlitos Ricardo Parias —all of whom were shot by ICE or CBP agents. Throughout the video, Senator Murray calls out the egregious use of force from federal agents, their lies that don’t hold up in court, and the extreme danger they are putting families and communities in by recklessly using firearms. Senator Murray also called out Republicans for refusing to negotiate serious and common sense measures to rein in ICE and CBP. In July 2026, Senator Murray called on ICE to stop the deportation of a small business owner, Eduardo Aguirre Esparza, who has lived in Seattle for 23 years and is the husband of an American citizen. Eduardo was forcefully detained and in the process of being deported before courts could consider emergency relief. In December 2025, Murray called attention to the violent assault of Wilmer Toledo-Martinez in Vancouver, Washington and she successfully advocated for his release from the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC). Wilmer was lured out of his home under false pretenses, violently detained by federal agents, and mauled by an attack dog despite not resisting arrest or attempting to flee. Not long after, Murray also called attention to the case of Jose Paniagua Calderón, whose foot was run over by agents in Vancouver. In February 2025, Senator Murray signed onto a letter demanding that DHS end wrongful searches and interrogations of Tribal members, and continued to push for answers from DHS on the matter last December. In March 2025, Murray also reintroduced her Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act . In September 2025, Senator Murray and Senator Richard Blumenthal led 27 of their Senate colleagues in a letter expressing concern with prevalence and the treatment of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women in ICE detention. In November 2025, Senator Murray joined 48 of her colleagues in the Senate and House of Representatives in introducing the Restoring Access to Detainees Act , which would mandate that DHS allow people who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families. Senator Murray also met with farmworkers, advocates, and community members in Burlington last year to listen to their concerns amid a recent spike in ICE activity—including large-scale raids and the detention of local activists and leaders—in Northwest Washington, particularly in Whatcom and Skagit counties. In Washington state, Senator Murray has been conducting oversight of the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC), despite the Trump administration’s efforts to block Congressional oversight of federal immigration detention facilities. After a protracted legal battle over Washington state’s ability to enforce health and safety standards at NWIPC, a federal appeals court ruled in August 2025 that the state should be allowed to enforce such standards at the detention center, and that failure to comply could result in fines of up to $10,000 per violation. In December 2025, Senator Murray led Members of the Washington state Congressional delegation in a letter to ICE, expressing grave concerns with conditions at NWIPC in Tacoma, Washington and demanding answers to a long list of questions regarding overcrowding and lack of access to medical services, food, and legal counsel for individuals detained at the facility. Murray has been outspoken against the Trump administration’s inhumane immigration agenda from the start, strongly opposing passage of the Laken Riley Act . Murray was one of the few Senate Democrats to take to the floor to speak out forcefully against its passage. The full letter is available HERE and below : Dear Secretary Mullin: I write with grave concern regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to further entrench immigration detention in Washington state for at least the next 10 years. An August 2026 Request for Proposals (RFP) identified the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma, WA as one of four “turn-key facility” targets for 10-year-long contracts, and ICE recently awarded a 10-year contract to continue operating NWIPC to the facility’s current owner and operator, the GEO Group. I, along with other members of the Washington and Oregon delegations, have repeatedly raised concerns regarding GEO Group’s operation of the detention center and detainees’ insufficient access to medical care, inadequate nutrition, and barriers inhibiting attorneys from providing legal counsel to detained clients. Yet, ICE is continuing to arrest and detain hundreds of immigrants in Washington, including those with no criminal conviction, exacerbating conditions in detention and creating additional burdens on the federal and immigration court system. Washington state and local communities have adopted laws and regulations to ensure the safety of those in detention, protect the rights of employees, and protect public health. The need for these state and local protections has been demonstrated time and time again at NWIPC. The Washington State Department of Health has received thousands of complaints about unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the facility that raise concerns about neglect and cruelty. Notably, GEO Group has been found liable for exploiting detainee workers and unjustly enriching itself through unlawful labor practices at the facility. That decision has since been affirmed by a federal appeals court. Additionally, in a May 2026 report, the University of Washington Center for Human Rights raised serious concerns about the lack of protections against sexual abuse and assault in the detention center. In 2023, the Washington State Legislature granted public health officials the authority to conduct health inspections of private detention facilities. GEO Group has repeatedly denied state health inspectors access to the facility as the state sought to enforce the law, prompting the state to sue the detention center operator. While that litigation continues, ICE and GEO Group reportedly entered into a temporary contract that contains language purporting to override state and local law and provides significant additional protections to GEO Group, including a provision requiring the federal government to cover the company’s legal fees. This language continues a dangerous trend in weakening basic protections for detainees and workers, while shielding private prison companies from accountability for abuse. It also puts taxpayers on the hook for GEO Group’s potential legal violations and inhumane treatment of detainees. Instead of working in tandem with state and local governments, ICE appears to be pursuing a course that would diminish lawful local oversight of the detention facility, evade oversight, and weaken basic protections for detainees and workers. In August, ICE issued the solicitation seeking proposals from contractors, with draft contract language stating that “If any conflicts between federal, state, or local laws or rules arise, the federal rules shall be followed.” This language falsely conveys that detainees in ICE custody, employees at the facility, and the local communities affected by the detention operations tied to NWIPC are no longer protected by applicable state and local laws. ICE’s effort to rapidly cement the detention center operator contract for another 10 years appears to be an attempt to avoid the necessary public scrutiny that would otherwise accompany the establishment of new detention facilities and operation of these facilities. Please provide responses to the following questions no later than November 20, 2026: What funds is ICE using or planning to use to fund the contracts resulting from this RFP? Please provide the originating public law with section number(s), appropriation account in which the funding resides, and period of availability for each source of funding. What alternative periods of performance were considered for the Northwest ICE Processing Center? What is the justification for pursuing a 10-year contract? Is ICE considering purchasing any existing facilities under the contractor-owned, contractor-operated-and-maintained pricing model required by the solicitation? If so, which facilities or categories of facilities are under consideration? Please describe how existing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversight entities, including the Office of Inspector General, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, will be resourced to ensure that NWIPC is meeting all detention standards. Please describe how existing medical services will be resourced, including staffing for mental health and behavioral health providers, to ensure that NWIPC is meeting the medical needs of noncitizens in custody. Additionally, please detail how ICE will mitigate the adverse impact of expanded detention operations on the public health of individuals in its custody, employees at NWIPC and the communities located in the areas surrounding NWIPC. Attachment 11 of the RFP permits virtual attorney visitation booths to be used for asylum interviews, credible fear interviews, and immigration judge hearings, and suspends the attorney access performance measures during those uses. How is attorney access measured in those periods? How will ICE ensure compliance with applicable law and national detention standards regarding access to counsel? The performance work statements state that more stringent state or local laws “shall not apply” to contract performance, while Attachment 16 of the RFP requires bidders to write that the facility will be operated consistent with state and federal law. Please explain this inconsistent guidance, as well as expectations for ICE contractors to observe federal, state, and local laws. Among the wrongly detained at NWIPC are the spouses of American citizens, the parents of American citizens, and immigrants with no criminal record who have contributed to our communities for decades. America should be known for its dignity and humanity, and those values should not disappear at the doors of this detention center. You and I both know we can enforce our immigration laws in a way that is humane, even-handed, and fair—it is abundantly clear that many in the administration, like Stephen Miller, are intent on weaponizing our immigration system to inflict suffering and cruelty on good people and innocent families. That is not remotely acceptable to me, nor should it be to you. Nobody in the custody of the United States government should be denied basic medical care, served food that makes them sick, held in isolation for weeks, or worse. The detention conditions under this administration have been nothing short of despicable. And even as this administration has tried to obstruct oversight and conceal its wrongdoing, the American people are already horrified by what little they have been allowed to see. One way or another, the truth will come out and there will be accountability. History will remember who stood in the way of reasonable oversight to cover up egregious violations of human rights. Sincerely, ###