The Northwest Detention Center (NWDC, now the NWIPC) is one of the largest immigrant prisons in the United States, holding as many as 1,575 immigrants at a given time. Located in Tacoma’s tide flats since 2004, the facility is privately run by the GEO Group under a contract from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. For years, detained people, activists, and legal groups have protested conditions within the facility as well as the broader U.S. immigration system and policies related to undocumented immigrants. In 2021, the Washington state legislature and Governor Jay Inslee passed HB1070, barring the use of “private, for-profit detention facilities” beginning in 2025. The interviews in this section reflect the broader movement to facilitate change and potentially close the facility.

Photo: Maddy Hadden; Mural: Saiyare Refaei with assistance from Elvia, Dania Shajuanda, and Tiffany.