Washington State Takes Legal Action to Allow Health Inspections of Northwest ICE Processing Center
In February, the WSMA pressed Congress to curb Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities and uphold health standards in detention facilities, citing a 2026 Government Accountability Office report that Customs and Border Protection “has not consistently implemented [medical care]” and troubling accounts of ICE detainees in inadequate sanitary conditions deprived of needed medical care or other basic human needs. WSMA’s advocacy on the issue was aided by new policies derived from House of Delegates Resolution C-19 Protecting Patient Access to Care Regardless of Immigration Status passed in 2025 and authored by Joy Bucher, MD, and Alan Boyd, DO.
This week, we’re pleased to report Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown have begun legal action against The GEO Group, the private company that owns and operates the Northwest ICE Processing Center. The action asks the court to order The GEO Group to allow Department of Health inspectors into the immigration detention facility to ensure it is following state law, and to investigate the more than 3,500 complaints from detainees about conditions in the facility, which range from being deprived of needed prescribed medication after a medical emergency to instances of abuse and sexual assault.
CME on demand
On May 1, the WSMA hosted a well-attended webinar featuring Genevieve Pagalilauan, MD, who shared her experience volunteering to provide her medical expertise for patients already in custody at immigration detention centers, and Toren Davis, DO, and Amrita Stark, MD, who shared their experiences caring for patients who face increased barriers to medical care access in their communities due to real or perceived threat of detainment. The presenters graciously allowed the session to be recorded and offered as enduring CME to WSMA members. View the webinar. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM.