Voters need to demand that this contract be investigated, since Tacoma and the surrounding area could have used that $ 1.5Bil for city infrastructure, and while members of our state congress and city council whine about this problem, as reported, it has been around for a decade… what took so long to get upset? ALL Detention Facilities need Oversight, yo

Bottom line:

The federal government has renewed GEO Group’s contract for the Tacoma ICE detention center for another decade at a multi‑billion‑dollar cost, despite ongoing criticism over conditions and oversight issues

FACTS:

Contract details

• Value: $1.5 billion total; ~$140 million per year
• Duration: October 29, 2026 – October 27, 2036
• Operator: GEO Group, Florida‑based private prison company
• Capacity: 1,635 beds at the Tacoma Tideflats facility
• Services: Security, maintenance, food services, recreational amenities, medical care, and transportation

Source: Yahoo, KUOW,

Lawmakers’ concerns: U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Emily Randall visited the facility and called for an investigation, citing lack of transparency, a reported single‑bid process, and potential limits on state oversight

GEO Group has run the Northwest ICE Processing Center since 2005

The renewal follows the expiration of its previous 10‑year contract last year – Yahoo Finance

The deal comes amid ongoing scrutiny over detainee conditions, including reports of poor food quality, inadequate medical care, water quality issues, and delayed prescription access – KUOW

On October 30, 1948, killer smog hovering over Donora, Pennsylvania claims its first two victims. Over a five-day period, the smog killed about 20 people and made thousands more seriously ill.

Donora was a town of 14,000 people on the Monongahela River in a valley surrounded by hills. The town was home to steel mills and a zinc smelting plant that had released excessive amounts of sulphuric acid, carbon monoxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere for years prior to the disaster. During the 1920s, the owner of the zinc plant, Zinc Works, paid off local residents for damages caused by the pollution. Still, there was little or no regulation of the air pollution caused by the industries of Donora.

Source: history.com