Immigrant rights group sues Tacoma, WA immigration court

Class-action lawsuit targets Tacoma, WA detention center

A class-action lawsuit has been filed by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project against the Tacoma Immigration Detention Center, accusing judges of unjustly denying bonds to detained immigrants.

TACOMA, Wash. - The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Tacoma immigration detention center, alleging that judges have continuously denied bonds to detained immigrants.

Attorneys argue that this policy has left hundreds of detainees in legal limbo.

The face of the lawsuit, Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, remains unknown to the community for now. His attorneys describe him as a husband, father and grandfather from Grandview, Washington. He's a longtime agricultural worker and homeowner. Rodriguez Vazquez, a non-citizen, has lived in the U.S. for 16 years and has no criminal history. Despite this, he remains detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, unable to post bond after federal agents raided his home in February without prior notice.

What they're saying:

"It's a place that no one would want to be," said Aaron Korthuis, an attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

The Northwest ICE Processing Center is one of the largest detention facilities in the country, functioning much like a jail.

"You're in open dorm-like settings with the lights on all the time, it's impossible to sleep," Korthuis said. "Medical care is often insufficient."

Korthuis says Rodriguez Vazquez, who suffers from high blood pressure, went a full week without receiving the necessary medication after his arrest.

Rodriguez Vazquez remains separated from his family, including his wife of 40 years.

"A lot of folks have to hire attorneys, and if you're in a detention center, that's really hard to do if you're not making a salary," Korthuis explained.

Data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) shows that in the 2023 fiscal year, Tacoma's immigration judges granted bond in only 3% of cases.

"That's by far the lowest rate of granting of bond in the United States," Korthuis said.

As of the 2025 fiscal year, the bond grant rate remains just 6%.

Tacoma's immigration system stacks detainees

Dig deeper:

The lawsuit, filed against ICE, the detention center, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney General, and the Tacoma Immigration Court, argues that judges are misinterpreting the Immigration and Nationality Act. Attorneys claim that a statute meant for newly arrived immigrants—who have just crossed the border and have no right to bond—is being wrongly applied to individuals like Rodriguez Vazquez, who have lived in the U.S. for years and should be eligible to request bond.

Attorneys say other immigration courts do not follow this interpretation, making Tacoma an outlier.

"Notably, the Tacoma Immigration Court is an outlier, as similarly situated noncitizens in detention centers elsewhere in the country receive bond hearings," the complaint states.

"There's been at least a few, probably a couple hundred, people who have been subjected to this, if not more," Korthuis said. "And I think what's really concerning is with increased interior enforcement here in the United States, we're going to see a lot more people who are in that kind of situation."

Broken appeals process

Detainees denied bond can appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, but attorneys argue the process is ineffective.

"The Board of Immigration Appeals' own data shows that it often takes more than six months to issue a decision," Korthuis said. "By that time, people have obviously lost their jobs, they've been separated from their family for six months."

The situation gets more dire — by the time an appeal is decided, many detainees have already been removed from the U.S..

The Supreme Court has ruled that legal relief must be granted swiftly to be effective. Otherwise, it becomes meaningless.

"Freedom before conviction permits the unhampered preparation of a defense and serves to prevent the infliction of punishment prior to conviction," the ruling states.

By the time an appeal is decided, many detainees have already been deported compared to federal courts which typically resolve pretrial detention appeals in weeks.

The lawsuit claims the Tacoma Immigration Court’s policy and the BIA’s delays violate constitutional due process protections.

"This isn't saying, 'Oh, everybody should get out.' Judges still have to make this assessment as to whether someone's a flight risk or a danger," Korthuis said. "But they have that right, and the immigration judges in Tacoma, unfortunately, are ignoring that right, right now."

What's next:

Rodriguez Vazquez's case is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. His attorneys have filed a preliminary injunction while the case proceeds. Both his appeal and immigration proceedings are happening simultaneously.

The outcome of the lawsuit could have significant implications for detained immigrants facing similar legal battles in Tacoma.

The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Alejandra Guzman.