Labor rallies support for detained union members

Tacko Seck (SEIU Healthcare 1199NW) and Nestor Dupaya (AFSCME Local 3299) are being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where a hunger strike is ongoing

TACOMA, WA (August 17, 2026) — Union workers and community members rallied in front of the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma twice last week, calling for the release of two union siblings and all those held at the notoriously dangerous and inhumane facility run by for-profit prison company GEO Group.

Tacko Seck is a healthcare worker in Washington state and member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. Nestor Dupaya, who works at University of California San Diego Medical Center and is a member of AFSCME Local 3299, was detained during a layover at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in July. Both Seck and Dupaya have legal authorization to work in the U.S. and have been separated from their children and loved ones during detainment.

Union members, community allies, and Seck’s family rally outside NWDC on Thursday. Photo: SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

“Washington’s labor movement knows something that generations of working people have always known: an injury to one is an injury to all,” said Joaquín Rodríguez, speaking on behalf of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO at Thursday’s rally for Seck. “And none of us are free until all of us are free.”

Seck was granted bond at her Thursday hearing, per her union. Her family is fundraising to cover that cost so she can walk free from ICE detention. Community group Tanggol Migrante Movement is urging supporters to sign a petition in support of Dupaya demanding his release; his family is also fundraising to cover ongoing legal costs.

Conditions at NWDC continue to be unlivable. La Resistencia, which maintains a round-the-clock presence outside NWDC and communicates with those held inside, reports that there is an ongoing hunger strike within the facility to protest a lack of medical care, edible food, and basic supplies. It’s the 20th hunger strike at the facility and more than a hundred people are participating, per La Resistencia. A video posted to the organization’s social media shares details about current conditions: medical care denied, even to those with serious conditions like diabetes and acute injuries like a dislocated shoulder and a broken foot; too little food, often inedible and delivered hours late; and a lack of basic hygiene supplies, like toilet paper. La Resistencia reports that strike participants have been retaliated against, with some confined to segregation while at least one person has been transferred out of NWDC.

Washington Congresswoman Emily Randall and Oregon Congresswoman Maxine Dexter visited NWDC on Sunday and were told by GEO Group personnel that there were no issues with medical care or food access. But after speaking with a participant in the hunger strike, Randal said the for-profit prison company’s narrative once again didn’t match detained people’s experiences.

“It’s clear that folks inside are not being treated the way they deserve and they are crying out for help,” said Randall.