Latest news with #Ortiz-Self
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Push for inspections at Tacoma immigration detention center reemerges in WA Legislature
Mist shrouds the state Capitol dome in Olympia, Wash. on Jan. 27, 2025. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard) Following multiple lawsuits involving the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, state lawmakers are pushing again for greater transparency at the for-profit immigrant detention center. House Bill 1232, sponsored by Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, would expand the definition of private detention facilities to include those run by nonprofit organizations. In fighting the state's attempts at oversight in court, The GEO Group, which runs the Tacoma facility, claimed they were singled out by previous legislation. 'If they really had nothing to hide, they would have opened their doors,' Ortiz-Self said. The Northwest ICE Processing Center is the only privately run adult detention facility in the state. GEO operates the center under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Facility, near Spokane, is not-for-profit and would be covered by this year's bill. Through this legislation, Ortiz-Self hopes to demonstrate the state is not targeting a single facility. 'It's really very simple, you do business in the state of Washington, you should uphold some basic human standards,' Ortiz-Self said. 'We would go after any other private detention facility,' she added, 'but we don't have any others.' The bill also includes some changes to the standards the state is seeking to enforce at the facilities, sets out new civil penalties for violations, and would make inspection findings available to the public. GEO did not return a request for comment. Debate over the legislation comes as President Donald Trump has pursued a set of hardline immigration policies since taking office last month. The Northwest ICE Processing Center is the largest immigration detention site in the region, with the capacity to hold about 1,575 people. For years, it has been the subject of complaints over human rights violations. The University of Washington Center for Human Rights has documented allegations of medical neglect, reports of sexual assaults, use of tear gas, lack of cleanliness, and unsafe food. People detained there have repeatedly gone on hunger strikes and there have also been reports of attempted suicides. In 2021, the Washington Legislature approved a law trying to force the detention center's closure, but it had to back down after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a similar California law. Since then, a series of court battles have focused on a 2023 Washington state law — House Bill 1470 — intended to give state health and workplace agencies authority to conduct inspections at private detention centers. Workplace inspectors from the Department of Labor and Industries did gain access to inspect the Northwest ICE Processing Center last year, following a court fight. But GEO and the state continue to disagree over other aspects of the law, including whether Department of Health inspectors should have access to the facility. 'We want the Department of Health and Human Services to be able to go into that facility and make sure that human beings are okay,' Ortiz-Self said. Revisions to required facility standards in the bill are somewhat nuanced. For example, House Bill 1470 required solitary confinement to be prohibited, mental health evaluations, and new clothing upon arrival. House Bill 1232 would remove this and other language, but it adds new provisions, like procedures to reduce the spread of diseases and more detailed food service rules. Ortiz-Self said that the standards she's proposed align with those for psychiatric hospitals. The bill would also clear the way for the Department of Health to assess civil fines up to $1 million against facilities that don't address problems identified during inspections. The money collected from these penalties will go to the department to provide training or technical assistance to the facilities. To Ortiz-Self, this legislation is about preserving human rights. 'We don't hear of that number of hunger strikes in our prisons,' she said, noting the frequency of hunger strikes at the Tacoma center. 'We have a right to ask what is going on and when the answer is 'you can't come in,' it makes us really suspicious.' How much power the state has to regulate a facility involved in federal immigration enforcement has been central to the ongoing litigation. Clashes over this and related issues continued Friday in one of the lawsuits stemming from House Bill 1470, with the state and GEO arguing before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Even before Trump took office, the U.S. Department of Justice sided with the company and against the state's law. Similarly, lawmakers opposed to the new bill argue the detention center is a federal facility and not a state issue. 'We would not have the health department go on to a military base to inspect the base, this is something we feel is similar,' said Jenny Graham, R-Spokane, in a recent committee hearing. If the bill doesn't pass this session, Ortiz-Self suggested she and other lawmakers would not back down from future attempts to regulate the facility. 'If GEO thinks we're gonna stop and sit back and say, 'Oh, well, we lost,' I hope, after the third time, they realize we are not,' she said.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WA Democrats reportedly block move to nix 48-hour scholastic assault reporting requirement
A new Washington state bill characterized as a repeal of the state's Parents Bill of Rights now includes a provision allowing information to be essentially withheld from parents regarding assaults of their children for up to 48 hours. State Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, attested to the Washington State Standard the bill overall "doesn't change any rights" and is a "cleanup bill" that updates health privacy provisions to align with current law. In a House Education Committee hearing this week, one lawmaker unsuccessfully attempted to undo the 48-hour rule and require immediate parental notification. "The underlying bill essentially states that schools can wait 48 hours before they tell parents if their children were involved in any kind of criminal action or if there was any sexual misconduct of staff," said state Rep. Travis Couture, R-Shelton. Washington State Proposes Protections For Unemployed Illegal Immigrants "And we have seen a stunning amount of sexual misconduct and sexual assaults by educators in our schools just in the last year itself." Read On The Fox News App He cited reports that two principals in the Vancouver, Wash., area "hid information" from parents on sexual misconduct against a teen. "As a parent myself, I would be disgusted and sickened to know if my kids had some kind of sexual abuse put upon them by staff, and I wasn't notified immediately of those things. . . . For God's sake, vote yes [on the amendment]." But Democrat Lillian Ortiz-Self argued that as a school guidance counselor, she was trained in how to best deal with such situations. "It's very clear that we take direction from law enforcement and from the Department of Children and Family Services whenever there's a crime that has taken place and that we must sit here and give them the time to do the investigation so that justice can be served. Our role in the schools is to support the child and support the parents," said Ortiz-Self, of Mukilteo. Washington State Democrats Accidentally Email Their 'Radical' Tax Plan To Entire Senate Ortiz-Self said authorities must not have their investigations "impeded," to which KTTH commentator Jason Rantz reacted incredulously in a column. "She didn't say, most likely because it's a completely contrived concern," he wrote. Couture's amendment to ensure immediate parental notification failed in an ensuing voice vote, with House Education Committee chairwoman Sharon Tomiko-Santos, D-Seattle, voting "nay" and deeming the vote unsuccessful. Following Couture's attempt to undo the change, another committee member raised a new amendment regarding parental notification if they are accused of a crime and have "more than just a meet and greet with a police officer." "We just heard if law enforcement are involved, parents should be involved as well. They should have the bare minimum of a notification when it comes to law enforcement questioning a child," said state Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Roy. "There are just certain protections that are afforded to all of us as members of society given by our Constitution. And one of them is the right to legal protection. And we're innocent until proven guilty. If parents aren't even involved, then children are potentially not aware of their rights. If they're being questioned, who's to say what they're going to admit to when they're being accused of a crime?" Marshall later said committee Democrats rejected two dozen Republican amendments in what he called a "blatant disregard for parents' rights" and children's safety. "[This is] further proof that Dems care more about their woke agenda than protecting our kids," he article source: WA Democrats reportedly block move to nix 48-hour scholastic assault reporting requirement
Fox News
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
WA Democrats reportedly block move to nix 48-hour scholastic assault reporting requirement
A new Washington state bill characterized as a repeal of the state's Parents Bill of Rights now includes a provision allowing information to be essentially withheld from parents regarding assaults of their children for up to 48 hours. State Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, attested to the Washington State Standard the bill overall "doesn't change any rights" and is a "cleanup bill" that updates health privacy provisions to align with current law. In a House Education Committee hearing this week, one lawmaker unsuccessfully attempted to undo the 48-hour rule and require immediate parental notification. "The underlying bill essentially states that schools can wait 48 hours before they tell parents if their children were involved in any kind of criminal action or if there was any sexual misconduct of staff," said state Rep. Travis Couture, R-Shelton. "And we have seen a stunning amount of sexual misconduct and sexual assaults by educators in our schools just in the last year itself." He cited reports that two principals in the Vancouver, Wash., area "hid information" from parents on sexual misconduct against a teen. "As a parent myself, I would be disgusted and sickened to know if my kids had some kind of sexual abuse put upon them by staff, and I wasn't notified immediately of those things. . . . For God's sake, vote yes [on the amendment]." But Democrat Lillian Ortiz-Self argued that as a school guidance counselor, she was trained in how to best deal with such situations. "It's very clear that we take direction from law enforcement and from the Department of Children and Family Services whenever there's a crime that has taken place and that we must sit here and give them the time to do the investigation so that justice can be served. Our role in the schools is to support the child and support the parents," said Ortiz-Self, of Mukilteo. Ortiz-Self said authorities must not have their investigations "impeded," to which KTTH commentator Jason Rantz reacted incredulously in a column. "She didn't say, most likely because it's a completely contrived concern," he wrote. Couture's amendment to ensure immediate parental notification failed in an ensuing voice vote, with House Education Committee chairwoman Sharon Tomiko-Santos, D-Seattle, voting "nay" and deeming the vote unsuccessful. Following Couture's attempt to undo the change, another committee member raised a new amendment regarding parental notification if they are accused of a crime and have "more than just a meet and greet with a police officer." "We just heard if law enforcement are involved, parents should be involved as well. They should have the bare minimum of a notification when it comes to law enforcement questioning a child," said state Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Roy. "There are just certain protections that are afforded to all of us as members of society given by our Constitution. And one of them is the right to legal protection. And we're innocent until proven guilty. If parents aren't even involved, then children are potentially not aware of their rights. If they're being questioned, who's to say what they're going to admit to when they're being accused of a crime?" Marshall later said committee Democrats rejected two dozen Republican amendments in what he called a "blatant disregard for parents' rights" and children's safety. "[This is] further proof that Dems care more about their woke agenda than protecting our kids," he said.
