ICE proposes contracts barring oversight of detention

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is proposing new contract terms that would shield its private detention facilities from state and local oversight, a move that follows a federal court ruling against the agency in Washington state. The draft language, published on July 10, declares that state and local laws "shall not apply" to facility operations and would cover approximately 5,500 detention beds across four states.

The action came one day after U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ordered the private operator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, to admit state health inspectors. In a ruling on July 9, Judge Settle stated that a federal contract cannot override state law. The GEO Group, which operates the Tacoma facility, had refused inspections for three years despite thousands of detainee complaints and two deaths at the facility since 2024. A federal appeals court temporarily paused the inspection order on July 21.

The new procurement document aligns precisely with four existing GEO-operated facilities in Tacoma, Washington; Aurora, Colorado; Pompano Beach, Florida; and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Their current operating agreements are set to...