Protesters push back on reported ICE office lease at Riverfront Technical Park | king5.com

TUKWILA, Wash. — A Tukwila City Council meeting Monday night drew more than a dozen residents to speak at the podium, many united around one message: keep federal immigration authorities out of their community.

As the city was looking to discuss a city-wide moratorium that would temporarily ban the establishment of new detention facilities, public comment focused on reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to lease office space at Riverfront Technical Park in Tukwila.

“Your job when it comes to public safety is to block them from coming into or acting in the city any way you can,” one speaker told council members during the meeting.

Concerns centered on the possibility of ICE occupying space at a Tukwila business park owned by the Sabey corporation.

“What’s scary is the possibility of ICE occupying the Sabey-owned facility in the Riverfront Technical Park,” another resident said during public comment.

In a written statement to the City of Tukwila, providing background prior to Monday's city council meeting, Sabey said the recently executed lease at Riverfront Technical Park is for office space.

The company added that the U.S. General Services Administration has leased space from Sabey for many years to support federal agency needs.

Sabey also owns the Department of Homeland Security building in Tukwila, where many immigrants report for interviews and regular ICE check-ins. In its statement, Sabey said Riverfront is classified as office space and that there are no plans to change that use.

But for some residents and organizers, the distinction between office space and other types of facilities does little to ease concerns.

“We want them out,” said Josh Castle, one of the organizers of a protest targeting Sabey Corporation.

Castle argues that even office space would increase ICE’s footprint in the area.

“Office space means another space, increased capacity for ICE agents and for Department of Homeland Security staff,” he said.

Like many who spoke Monday night, Castle said he opposes any expansion of ICE operations in Tukwila.

“We are going to continue to oppose this no matter what kind of facility it is,” he said. “If ICE agents are going to operate out of it, given everything we’re seeing, we don’t want them there. We don’t want them anywhere in Tukwila, we don’t want them anywhere in Washington state, we don’t want them anywhere in the country.”

The City of Tukwila released a statement clarifying what the city can and cannot do regarding Sabey's intentions to lease space to federal agencies:

“The City of Tukwila became aware of a potential new ICE office at Riverfront Technical Park, *2811 S 102nd Street, only after reports from local and national media. Cities do not regulate or approve leases on private property. All properties are subject to the City’s zoning, building, and fire code standards, and permits are required for any construction, change of use, and in some circumstances expansion of a use into adjacent parts of a building. When using private property, the Federal Government is subject to the same City zoning and permit requirements as would apply throughout the City. The City of Tukwila will confirm compliance with the city’s zoning and building codes for this use, as it does with any property or new business activity in the city. If there are any zoning or permit violations, the City will take appropriate enforcement actions.*

At this time, the City has not received any building or land use permits related to a new tenant in that building. However, permitting may not be required if the space was already in office use.”