ICE's New Contracts Say State Law? Never Heard of Her.
What happened
A day after a federal judge ordered ICE's Tacoma detention center opened to Washington state health inspectors, the agency quietly posted draft contract terms covering 5,500 beds at four facilities — all declaring that state and local laws 'shall not apply.' The bed counts and timelines line up almost exactly with four centers GEO Group already runs, and bidders got less than a week to respond.
Why this matters
This isn't abstract legalese — it's the difference between whether state inspectors can walk into a facility with 3,500 detainee complaints and check on conditions. The judge in the underlying case, Benjamin Settle, already rejected this exact 'preemption by contract' argument once, calling it legally baseless.
The slightly cynical read
A 30-day standup requirement that no new construction could possibly meet, paired with bed counts that map perfectly onto existing GEO facilities, isn't really a competitive bid — it's a paperwork reset dressed up as procurement, timed suspiciously well against an unfavorable ruling.
What to watch next
A Ninth Circuit stay decision is expected in early August, and existing operating contracts at all four sites lapse between September and October — meaning this legal fight and the contract fight are about to collide head-on.