So I don't and won't usually get political on here, but this is important enough that I think it should be put out there.
Washington State Legislature is currently considering a bill that would hold federal and private detention centers (read ICE) accountable for the health of those detained. The bill currently would force ICE Detention centers to provide those detained with clean bathrooms, living space, clean clothing, safe food, education, radios, visitation rights, and much more. It would also give the Washington State Department of Health legal power to do routine inspections. If you believe that people should be treated as people then please help in any way you can.
Here are links to the bill in question and the grassroots movement that got the bill submitted:
This is a big thing. Washington State does not like that the federal government has detention centers there, but previous attempts to shut down the facilities and house these refugees and immigrants have been deemed unconstitutional. The legislature is now trying to do the next best thing: making sure that these centers are safe and that those in it have the legal resources to get out.
Please rechost this, speak out, and donate if you can. This might be just one state but if this gets through, it sets a precedent for other states and movements to rely on to combat other centers.
I can't speak for the bill itself, but if it manages to force them to fix all of the problems with their facility? Their, best and most advanced detainment facility, in washington, that's rife with complaints showing it's nowhere near equipped with what should be there?
it's a huge expense they didn't budget for, and from a cursory search, they already assigned their money for FY2023. Which I think means they have to reduce other things to comply with this until they can convince the federal legislature to help them, months later.
It depends on how much the state is willing to hound them, but if it is? there aren't even clean bathrooms or access to education in the current facilities. ICE skimps on a lot, including laundry (and spoiled food), medical care (or, rather, neglect), etc. all in the name of keeping the costs manageable so they can run more snatch and grab operations. Bringing any of their places up to code is gonna take awhile, and best of all, more payroll for upkeep, payroll that isn't going to ICE cops.
Which means that forcing their 'largest and best equipped detention center' to modernize to the year 1975 probably means a moderate but meaningful blow to ICE country-wide