King County WA — Seattle, 7 Jurisdictions Ban New ICE Detention Centers (2026)
The Trigger
In December 2025, DHS/ICE posted a pre-solicitation notice on SAM.gov signaling interest in building a 1,635-bed detention facility in the Seattle/King County area, estimated at ~$400 million. This followed President Trump’s July 2025 legislation providing $170 billion for immigration enforcement, with $45 billion specifically for detention center expansion.
The Response (Feb-Mar 2026)
A coordinated regional effort by elected officials across 7 jurisdictions passed moratoriums blocking new or expanded immigration detention facilities:
| Jurisdiction | Key Sponsor | Duration | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck | 1 year (365 days) | Unanimously approved Mar 10, 2026 |
| King County | Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda | TBD | Feb 2026 |
| SeaTac | Deputy Mayor Senayet Negusse | 6 months | Feb 2026 |
| Renton | — | 6 months-1 year | Feb-Mar 2026 |
| Kent | — | 6 months-1 year | Feb-Mar 2026 |
| Tukwila | — | 6 months-1 year | Feb-Mar 2026 |
| Port of Seattle | Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa | Ongoing order | Feb 2026 |
Specific Measures
Seattle: Interim regulations prohibiting “all new and expanded jails and detention centers” for 365 days, allowing time for permanent legislation. Passed unanimously by City Council.
King County: County property use blocked for immigration enforcement actions, with directives for enhanced executive response to ICE/CBP activities. Additional moratorium extending protections to unincorporated King County areas.
Port of Seattle: Order preventing conversion of non-public Port properties for new or expanded detention or immigration enforcement uses. Critical given SeaTac Airport’s role.
King County Executive: Girmay Zahilay announced measures limiting ICE enforcement in county-owned spaces, prohibiting ICE from staging in non-public county buildings/garages/lots — particularly significant ahead of 2026 World Cup at Seattle venues.
Why It Matters
This is one of the most coordinated regional preemptive defenses against ICE facility expansion documented in this project. Seven jurisdictions acting in concert, triggered by a single DHS pre-solicitation, created a de facto regional barrier to new detention infrastructure. The moratoriums use land-use regulation as the legal mechanism — a strategy that proved effective in Tacoma’s 2018 zoning restrictions that prevented GEO Group from expanding the NWIPC.
The World Cup dimension adds urgency: DHS Secretary signaled a “hard look” at pulling Customs operations from sanctuary city airports, which would effectively shut down SeaTac — Washington’s primary international hub.
Sources
- Cities in Washington ban new ICE detention centers amid Trump push to expand (Spokesman-Review, Mar 31, 2026)
- Councilmember Rinck and regional leaders take action (Seattle City Council Blog, Feb 13, 2026)
- Seattle City Council unanimously approves emergency moratorium (Seattle City Council Blog, Mar 10, 2026)
- Seattle and nearby cities move to block new ICE detention centers (Axios Seattle, Mar 16, 2026)
- King County Executive aims to limit ICE at World Cup (FOX 13 Seattle)
- ICE exploring expanded detention capacity in Pacific Northwest (KING5)