By Grace Farrell
A person was declared dead at Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in October, the second death at the migrant detention center this year and the fourth since 2006. The individual was identified as Jose Manuel Sanchez-Castro, a 36-year-old citizen of Mexico. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which oversees the privately-owned facility, has not disclosed the cause of Sanchez-Castro’s death, but the Tacoma Police Department cited natural causes. Sanchez-Castro died shortly after an inspection of the facility was conducted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The visit was carried out as a “precautionary measure” to inspect the living conditions at the center, which have long been criticized by detainees and their advocates. IACHR notes that the inspection results were not satisfactory. In addition, the Washington State Health Department reports receiving 700 complaints about NWIPC relating primarily to food quality, COVID outbreaks and unsanitary water, according to NPR.
ICE officials staffing NWIPC refused The Trail’s request for comment on the death of Sanchez-Castro. The ICE website acknowledges his death and asserts its commitment to ensuring that all individuals in their custody remain in “safe, secure and humane environments.”
Regardless of these claims, according to the grassroots organization La Resistencia, the recent deaths and unsatisfactory inspection results indicate inhumane conditions within the center. La Resistencia was founded in 2014 to advocate for those detained by ICE.
The emergency call made by center officials upon Sanchez-Castro’s death clarifies that he was only in the center for five days, according to La Resistencia, who obtained the audio. La Resistencia says that, according to calls they made with a detainee who witnessed his death, Sanchez-Castro had been placed in medical isolation. The organization says it refuses to accept that the death of Sanchez-Castro can be attributed to natural causes given the history of reported medical neglect, poor food quality and unsanitary conditions within NWIPC. In the wake of Sanchez-Castro’s death, La Resistencia has continued its activism through hunger strikes both inside and outside of the detention center along with nightly vigils.
Currently, Puget Sound has no clubs on campus designated specifically to advocate for immigrant rights. Advocates for Detained Voices, a club formerly active on campus, was discontinued when student leader Nola Thury graduated in 2022. Thury recommends that Puget Sound students attend local events organized by groups like La Resistencia to become involved in advocacy work. According to Thury, continued reports of inhumane conditions at Tacoma’s Northwest Ice Processing Center necessitate that Puget Sound students leverage their voices through advocacy work.