Thread: WA: 92 guards hired at detention center without checks

Thursday, Nov. 06, 2008
92 guards hired at detention center without checks
By GENE JOHNSON - AP Legal Affairs Writer

A privately run immigration lockup in Tacoma hired 92 security guards without background checks, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't catch the practice for more than two years.

Sylvia Wong, an administrator in charge of hiring at the Northwest Detention Center, pleaded guilty this week in federal court in Tacoma to one count of making a false statement. In her plea agreement, she admitted that after starting work in November 2005, she began hiring guards without background checks.

ICE auditors discovered her activity early this year. Some of the guards have been fired following subsequent background checks, but ICE won't say how many. The agency says it's taken steps to prevent it from happening again.

The detention center holds up to 1,000 immigrants facing deportation and is run by Florida-based GEO Group Inc.

www.bellinghamherald.com

Good grief. Liberal Washington.

I just don't understand why I am surprised!

Originally Posted by Gogo

Good grief. Liberal Washington.

Good grief is right!