OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett were accused of trying to undermine the U.S. Constitution in federal court.
The complaint was filed by plaintiff the GEO Group, Inc. on April 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The GEO Group privately owns and operates the only immigration detention facility in the state of Washington, the Northwest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center.
According to the complaint, Washington lawmakers introduced Engrossed House Bill (EHB) 1090 in January, which would ban and ultimately close any private detention facility in the state. The bill was signed into law last month.
The lawmakers say that the legislation is part of the effort to reform national immigration approach, but the plaintiff alleges that the state does not have the authority to prohibit the private immigration facility from operating because it works with federal entities, specifically ICE and U.S. Customs and Board Protection (CBP).
Under the law, the Tacoma immigration center would be forced to close in September of 2025.
Geo Group accuses the defendants of violation of intergovernmental immunity, federal preemption of inconsistent state law and violation of the contracts clause. The plaintiff consequentially requests the court deem EHB 1090 an undermining of the U.S. Constitution and the Supremacy Clause.
The plaintiff is represented by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP of Seattle and Cooper and Kirk PLLC of Washington DC.