Emergency legislation to be heard by full Council February 24
Today Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (Position 8), in partnership with King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa, and SeaTac Deputy Mayor Senayet Negusse announced support for emergency legislation in response to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) potential moves to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the Seattle and broader King County region.
Given documented concerns about human rights violations at such facilities, including at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, City of Seattle, King County and Port of Seattle leaders are each working on separate but simultaneous mitigation measures to prevent expansion of new detention centers in our region.
“We cannot make it clear enough, the human rights violations at facilities like the Northwest Detention Center are unacceptable, and we refuse to stand by while the federal government continues their inhumane practices. We do not want this in Seattle, we do not want this in our county, we do not want this in our Ports. This is a clear message to the federal government: We want ICE out of our communities. We will not assist in facilitating this cruel, inhumane, and lawless agenda,” said Seattle City Councilmember Rinck.
King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, “As the federal administration wreaks violence and fear across the country, in King County, we are working together to create greater stability and safeguards for our own communities. Councilmember Rinck’s legislation prohibiting all new and expanded jails and detention centers, paired with legislation I introduced yesterday blocking federal immigration enforcement on County property, and proactive protections from our partners at the Port, SeaTac, and jurisdictions across the region show that we are a united front against the chaos and cruelty we are seeing from this administration. In the spirit of our regional partnership, I have also initiated an ordinance to expand the prohibition on new detention facilities to unincorporated King County, and we will continue working together to increase protections for all of our communities.”
“The Port of Seattle exists to connect people and goods – not to separate families or facilitate deportation,” said Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa. “Our facilities should never be used as tools for unjust immigration enforcement, and this Order reinforces that we cannot actively assist ICE in actions that undermine human rights and community trust by serving as a landlord for a future detention facility. Prohibiting a detention facility at Port properties is an affirmation of our commitment to equity, transparency, and the fundamental principle that our role is to serve and welcome – not to expel.”
“I believe in public safety, human dignity, and responsible land use. Expanding detention infrastructure does not strengthen our city, it strains our neighborhoods, our resources, and the trust we work every day to build. I will not assist in separating families and spreading fear in our communities,” SeaTac Deputy Mayor Senayet Negusse.
Background
In July 2025, President Trump signed into law legislation that provides $170 billion in additional funding for immigration enforcement-related activities to DHS, its sub-agencies ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Department of Defense (DOD). Notably, $45 billion of this is dedicated to detention center expansion.
In December 2025, a pre-solicitation notice from DHS and ICE was made public, related to possible federal funding to aid with potential immigration detention facilities in the Seattle/King County area.
At the national level, DHS has become a major buyer of commercial warehouses to create temporary detention centers across the country, including in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The bill, often referred to as the “One Big Betrayal Bill Act,” included funding for these new facilities.
Major human rights violations throughout the country have continued. The Center for Human Rights at the University of Washington as well as the Seattle University School of Law show that these problems are not new. People are being detained in these facilities unjustly, with ICE continuing to defy judge’s orders to release detainees, as reported by Politico. Any new detention facility operated by the federal government would only exacerbate the illegal actions of detaining people without cause, holding them in perpetuity, and continuing to cause harm to our democracy.
What local governments are doing
Seattle City Councilmember Rinck’s legislation proposes interim regulations, for a period of 365 days from the time the ordinance takes effect, that would prohibit all new and expanded jails and detention centers, to allow the City time to consider and adopt appropriate permanent legislation. The legislation also declares a state of emergency and a public hearing will occur within 60 days of adoption, if passed. The bill is expected to receive a full council vote on February 24.
King County Councilmember Mosqueda introduced legislation on Feb. 12 blocking the use of county property for immigration enforcement actions, directing additional actions by the executive to enhance the county’s response to ICE and CBP surges, and has initiated work on a moratorium on detention facilities, building on the Seattle and SeaTac legislation to expand protections to unincorporated King County.
At the Port Commission’s regular meeting on February 24, Seattle Port Commissioner Hasegawa will introduce an order setting clear guidelines for Port properties and ensuring Port resources are not used for civil immigration detention or enforcement staging operations. Under the order, nonpublic Port properties could not be converted for new or expanded uses for detention or immigration enforcement support. This is in alignment with what King County, the City of Seattle, and the City of SeaTac have already or are in the process of advancing.
This week, the SeaTac City Council adopted a temporary moratorium on the establishment or expansion of detention facilities within its city limits. SeaTac already hosts a federal detention facility, and officials determined that a pause is appropriate to evaluate potential impacts on public safety, infrastructure, emergency response capacity, and overall community well-being.
What’s next
Councilmember Rinck’s emergency legislation is scheduled to go before the full Seattle City Council on Feb. 24 for a potential vote. Other jurisdictions will proceed with their legislation for consideration and possible passage in the coming weeks. Collaboration will continue between local governments on how best to approach confronting these challenges in a regional manner.
# # #