King County Council bars new ICE detention facilities for one year

The Metropolitan King County Council voted Tuesday to ban any new detention centers in the county for at least the next year, becoming the latest local jurisdiction to attempt to block any new immigration detention facilities in the region.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement already has one of its largest detention facilities, the Northwest ICE Processing Center, in Tacoma. And there is no confirmed information about ICE trying to open another new detention center locally.

But a presolicitation,” published by ICE in December, has raised fears locally of a potential expansion of immigrant detention.

The presolicitation, which says it is only a draft for planning and to obtain industry feedback, says the ICE Seattle Field Office is seeking a 1,635-bed facility for the “detention and transportation of ICE detainees.”

Congress, at Trump’s request, approved $45 billion last year for more immigrant detention facilities.

The council legislation passed Tuesday bars the county from accepting any new land-use applications or permits for detention facilities in unincorporated King County for the next year.

The county joins the cities of SeaTac and Tukwila, which have passed similar laws. The city of Seattle is considering legislation to do the same and could vote as soon as next week.

“The land-use regulations that the council has, our local government authorities, allow for us to protect the health and safety of community residents,” Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, the lead sponsor, said in an interview. “We want to protect against these new facilities from coming into place here.”

The legislation passed 7-2, with Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer voting no.

“This is giving us time to make an informed decision about what long-term regulations we need to have with respect to detention facilities,” Councilmember Jorge Barón said.

ICE did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment.

Councilmember Rod Dembowski pointed to the rapidly built “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility in Florida, which he called “a humanitarian and an ecological disaster.”

The council met in closed session for nearly an hour as it considered the legislation, citing potential legal risks as a rationale for the secrecy.

Dunn said he appreciated the spirit of the legislation but was concerned about litigation because it was “designed to make a statement toward one specific federal agency.”

“Moratoriums are serious tools to use, they are sort of a blunt instrument,” he said. “There’s not an emergency here.

Local governments in Kansas City and in Baltimore have also passed laws barring new detention centers.

Seattle has not seen the National Guard deployed, as it has been in Portland and Los Angeles, or an overwhelming flood of thousands of immigration agents, as in Minnesota. But the region, and Washington, have seen a surge in immigration enforcement and in detainees at the facility in Tacoma. Advocacy groups and inmates have complained of deteriorating conditions there, including being served raw chicken, erratic access to outdoor recreation, few toiletries, dirty clothing and long waits for medical care and legal visits.

Three men filed a lawsuit last month in Pierce County Superior Court alleging they’d been groped, beaten and humiliated in the center.

The Tacoma facility saw its detainee population soar soon after Trump took office for his second term and has held around 90% of its 1,575-bed capacity since the fall.

It had 1,372 detainees as of early February, according to ICE data, of whom more than 70% were classified as noncriminal.