In a legal challenge filed against The Geo Group, health inspectors say they were denied access to inspect living conditions at the facility last month.

The Washington State Department of Health says it has not been able to investigate what could be a “full-blown public health crisis” at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Tacoma.

In a legal challenge filed July 30 against the private contractor that runs the facility, health inspectors say they were denied access to inspect living conditions. Since April 2023, the department said it has received more than 700 health complaints from the undocumented people incarcerated at the facility. Among them are disturbing reports that employees failed to address life-threatening medical conditions, and served dirty food and water.