‘ICE Out of Hospitals’ town hall

Healthcare workers and immigrant rights advocates are hosting a community town hall shining a light on rampant medical neglect at the Northwest Detention Center

TACOMA, WA (February 17, 2026) — Union healthcare workers and community advocates have been sounding the alarm on medical neglect at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, rallying against mistreatment of the people held there and the dangerous working conditions caused by ICE’s presence in St. Joseph Medical Center. In an “ICE Out of Hospitals” Town Hall on February 20, workers and community members will share their stories and calls for action to end medical neglect at NWDC and expel ICE from the medical center. The event is jointly organized by Malaya Tacoma, PUSO Tacoma, and Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA).

Conditions in the nation’s immigration detention centers are notoriously inhumane. In Tacoma, the people held at the Northwest Detention Center have reported being left to suffer through medical crises or given inadequate care inside the facility, leading to severe complications. The recent case of Greggy “Kuya G” Sorio — who was held in detention at NWDC for nearly a year — illustrated how a contract between the administrators of NWDC, for-profit prison company GEO Group, and St. Joseph Medical Center undermines care and endangers healthcare workers.

From the town hall organizers:

On October 23rd, Kuya G was admitted to St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) after suffering several months of medical neglect at the NWDC. Upon admission to the hospital, it was revealed that SJMC has a contract with the NWDC / GEO Group to treat detainees. This agreement allows ICE officers to sit in their rooms and act as liaisons for detainees admitted to the hospital for treatment.

The presence of ICE within the medical center continues to put health workers & professionals at risk and undermines their ability to treat patients. In late October 2025, a GEO Group agent’s fully loaded firearm was found by a nurse unattended in the public restroom of Kuya G’s floor for 6-7 hours. In the case that ICE chooses to arrest staff, workers have been told by the hospital to “let it happen.” Health workers & professionals, especially migrants feel intimidated and fear violent arrest from ICE.

Sorio was released from NWDC on Friday, after a judge ruled that he had been denied due process and his continued detention violated the U.S. Constitution. Advocates and community members are celebrating his release, while continuing to call for and end to medical neglect at NWDC, for detained migrants to have access to medical care without ICE surveillance, and for St. Joseph’s to scrap it’s contract with GEO Group.

TAKE A STAND: Join nurses, healthcare workers, and community allies on February 20 from 5:00-7:00 pm at Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, 1105 MLK Jr. Way, Tacoma WA 98405. More information and RSVP link for the town hall can be found here.