An emergency ordinance to put temporary limits on expanded or new correctional facilities in Tacoma, including that of the federal immigration detention center, was approved by the Tacoma City Council on Tuesday, after its introduction on the same day. The measure aims to prevent future expansion of the immigration detention center, known as the Northwest Detention Center. It is run by a private firm for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the News Tribune.
The rule limits where public correctional facilities can be situated inside city limits and prevents expansions or the creation of new private prisons in the city. City council members and the Mayor of Tacoma, Marilyn Strickland, have expressed disapproval at Tacoma having to house the federal detention center several times in recent weeks.
The city’s commitment to being a welcoming place for refugees and immigrants has been reaffirmed, although the Mayor stopped short of having Tacoma adopt the status of a sanctuary city. This was partly due to the presence of the immigration detention center.
Plans to expand the detention center have not been announced by its operators, GEO Group, and city staff has also claimed to be unaware of such plans. But many fear the possibility, given President Donald Trump’s plans to deport all undocumented immigrants currently living in the US. The facility, which opened with 500 beds in 2004, has expanded to be one of the country’s biggest detention centers, capable of housing up to 1575 people.