NW IPC is for US Immigration & Customs Enforcement-ICE offenders have not been sentenced yet and are detained here until their case is heard.
All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for Medium facility.
The phone carrier is Global Tel Link (GTL) - ConnectNetwork, to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.
If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders
The Northwest (ICE) Processing Center (NWIPC) - GEO is a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility located at 1623 East J St in Tacoma, WA in Pierce County. This medium-security facility is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and functions as a holding center for immigration detainees awaiting trial, deportation, or serving sentences following conviction.
To find an ICE inmate, please use the Detainee Locator System with the A-Number search being the most efficient method. The A-number must be exactly nine digits; if shorter, zeros should be added at the beginning. When searching by name, the first and last names must be entered as an exact match, and the detainee's correct country of birth must be selected. Please note that records of individuals under 18 cannot be searched.
Detainees at this facility are assigned to housing based on their custody level, determined by various factors including sentence length and criminal history. The detention center provides a wide range of educational and vocational training programs. Additionally, the facility is equipped to meet most detainee needs, including dietary, health, fitness, education, religious practices, and entertainment. As a privately operated facility, it undergoes frequent inspections to ensure it remains in top condition, maintaining a clean record to secure ongoing government contracts.
The Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, is one of the most prominent and controversial immigration detention facilities in the United States. The facility houses ICE detainees under contract with the Department of Homeland Security and is operated by the private prison company GEO Group rather than a county sheriff’s office. Located along the industrial Tideflats area near the Port of Tacoma, the detention center has become the primary immigration detention hub for the Pacific Northwest, receiving detainees from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and surrounding states. Originally opened in 2004 as the Northwest Detention Center, the facility was later rebranded by GEO Group as the Northwest ICE Processing Center, although many local residents, attorneys, and advocacy groups still commonly refer to it by its original name.
The detention center can house more than 1,575 detainees, making it one of the largest ICE detention facilities operating west of the Mississippi River. ICE detainees held at the facility include individuals awaiting asylum hearings, deportation proceedings, immigration bond determinations, or transfer to other federal detention sites nationwide. Population levels at the detention center have fluctuated significantly over the years depending on federal immigration enforcement activity, with detainee counts periodically surging during large-scale DHS operations. The facility’s location near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, major interstate highways, and federal immigration courts makes it a critical transportation and processing hub within the federal immigration detention system.
ICE Detainee Information
This facility holds immigration detainees under an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in addition to its regular population. ICE detainees are civil immigration detainees, not criminal defendants, and are held while their immigration cases are processed. The rules, rights, and services that apply to ICE detainees differ from those that apply to the general jail population.
To locate an ICE detainee at this facility, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. You will need the detainee's A-Number, a nine-digit Alien Registration Number that appears on any immigration document they have received. If the A-Number has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the beginning. If you do not have the A-Number, you can search using the detainee's full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. Names must be an exact match; try variations if the first search returns no results.
Immigration bond works differently from criminal bail. Not all detainees are eligible for bond; those with certain criminal convictions or prior deportation orders may be subject to mandatory detention. For those who are eligible, bond is set by an immigration judge and typically ranges from $1,500 to over $10,000. Bond must be paid in full before release. An immigration attorney can request a bond hearing and argue for a lower amount based on the detainee's circumstances.
Unlike criminal defendants, ICE detainees do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney. They must hire a private immigration attorney or find free legal help through a nonprofit organization. RAICES provides legal services and bond assistance at raicestexas.org. The National Immigrant Justice Center offers free legal representation at immigrantjustice.org. Many immigration courts also maintain a list of free and low-cost legal service providers available to detainees upon request.
ICE transfers detainees between facilities frequently and with little advance notice, sometimes to locations far from family and legal counsel. If you cannot locate your family member through this page, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator again at locator.ice.gov with their A-Number. If they have an attorney, notify the attorney immediately as transfers affect court appearances and case timelines.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Northwest ICE Processing Center is the intense public scrutiny and activism surrounding the facility. The detention center has been the site of frequent protests, hunger strikes, demonstrations, lawsuits, and immigration rights campaigns for more than a decade. Activists have criticized conditions inside the center, including allegations involving detainee medical care, prolonged detention, use of solitary confinement, labor practices, and mental health treatment. The facility gained national attention in 2019 after a deadly armed attack targeted the detention center during an anti-ICE protest incident outside the property. Since then, the detention center has remained one of the most politically debated immigration detention facilities in the country.
Operationally, the Northwest ICE Processing Center functions as a heavily secured federal detention environment designed specifically for large-scale immigration processing and long-term civil detention. Staff members oversee intake screening, medical evaluations, housing classification, transportation coordination, attorney visitation, commissary operations, and detainee movement under ICE detention standards. The facility works closely with immigration courts in Tacoma and Seattle, as well as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations offices throughout the Pacific Northwest. Because it serves such a large geographic region, detainees often arrive from remote locations across multiple states before entering immigration proceedings within Washington State.
Today, the Northwest ICE Processing Center remains one of the most operationally significant ICE detention facilities in the United States due to its massive bed capacity, strategic West Coast location, and central role within federal immigration enforcement operations. Supporters of the facility argue it provides necessary detention infrastructure for immigration case processing and public safety operations, while critics continue pushing for its closure and an end to private immigration detention altogether. Its combination of private management, sustained public controversy, and large-scale federal detention operations has made the Northwest ICE Processing Center one of the most recognizable immigration detention facilities in America.
