Thurston County bars new detention facilities for one year, citing ICE concerns
Thurston County will not permit new involuntary detention centers or correctional facilities for one year under a new moratorium.
The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the moratorium during a Tuesday business meeting in Olympia.
The moratorium specifically prohibits the “siting of public and private detention facilities or other facilities involving involuntary confinement, evaluation, treatment or custody under local, state or federal law,” according to the ordinance. The restriction applies to all zoning designations within unincorporated Thurston County.
The board’s action follows similar actions in Pierce and King counties.
“This moratorium is a practical and necessary step that gives us time to carefully examine Thurston County’s land-use politics around federal detention actions,” Commissioner and Board Chair Tye Menser said in a Tuesday news release.
Commissioner Carolina Mejia proposed a temporary ordinance in March that specifically targeted federal detention facilities. She made the proposal as jurisdictions across the country have pushed back against the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement and moves to expand detention facilities.
“I think this is a good step, just seeing everything,” Mejia said at the Tuesday meeting. “So, just very grateful for the board for considering this and moving this forward.”
Congress passed a spending bill last year that included nearly $170 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, including $45 billion for detention facilities, The Associated Press reported.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently has the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, a for-profit facility owned and operated by The GEO Group.
ICE has no new detention facilities “to announce” in Washington, ICE spokesperson Christine A. Cuttia said in a March emailed statement. When reached for comment Tuesday, ICE spokesperson Jason Chudy confirmed that was still true.
Cuttia previously confirmed ICE is seeking to expand detention space with federal funding. She said these will be “very well-structured facilities” that meet ICE’s “regular detention standards.”
“All sites undergo community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process prior to purchase to ensure there are no detrimental impacts on local utilities or infrastructure,” Cuttia previously said.
When reached for comment, Thurston County spokesperson Susan Melnyk said there are no pending proposals for a federal detention facility in Thurston County as of Tuesday morning.
The moratorium passed Tuesday does not single out federal detention facilities as originally pitched.
The county’s legal counsel determined the county cannot restrict the moratorium to only federal detention centers, Ashley Arai, Thurston County’s Community Planning and Economic Development Director, told the board last week.
However, the ordinance still mentions general concerns associated with immigration detention facilities, including the one in Tacoma.
Those concerns include “disproportionate impacts” on surrounding communities as well as potential increased demands on local courts, law enforcement, public defense, behavioral health systems, housing availability, infrastructure and other public services.
Additionally, the ordinance lists concerns with the impact of high occupancy levels, living conditions and oversight.
Facilities that offer “vital services” such as private residential facilities for sex offenders, halfway houses for juveniles, or Tribal facilities are not affected by the ordinance because they fall under different codes, the release states.
A provision in the moratorium creates an exception for certain health facilities that are important to public health and community care, Melnyk said.
That includes an exception for Maple Lane, a state-operated secure health treatment facility in the Rochester area that provides long-term inpatient care and counseling for civilly committed individuals.
The county is currently processing a special use permit for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services to expand the facility, per the release.
The ordinance also includes a one-year work plan for staff to develop permanent regulations related to these concerns. The board is expected to review and adopt these regulations by June 2027.
“As a community, we have a responsibility to ensure our policies reflect our values - protecting public safety, advancing transparency, and upholding fairness and dignity for all,” Menser said in the release. “The Planning Commission and staff will evaluate codes, collect public input, and draft thoughtful updates that reflect the County’s current operational and safety standards.”
In coming years, we’ve got opportunities for collaboration on juvenile facilities with other agencies – so the timing is right for this review.”
The county must hold a public hearing on the ordinance within 60 days of it being adopted. That hearing is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 5, pending the board’s approval at next week’s board meeting.
