Seattle Cities Block ICE Detention Expansion

Local officials around Seattle are slamming the door on new or expanded ice detention centers,

passing moratoriums from six months to a year in places.

Like Renton, Kent, C-Tech, Tuckwila, Seattle, King County, and Pierce County.

This comes as the Trump administration ramps up its $45 billion plan to boost immigrant

detention nationwide, including buying, warehouses, and private facilities.

Washington's got the Northwest Ice Processing Center into coma already,

run by GEO Group, with room for 1,575 people.

Earlier this month, a federal notice hinted at a contract for 1,635 beds near Seattle,

sparking fears of expansion.

Since the Tacoma Spots population jumped to over 1,370 by early February,

mostly folks without criminal records. No solid plans for a new center have surfaced,

but cities aren't waiting around. Advocates and leaders like Seattle Council member

Alexis Mercedes-Rink called these centers hotspots for abuse, from medical neglect to force,

with recent lawsuits over assaults at Tacoma. Lawmakers, including Red Pramilagaya Paul,

fired off letters to push back while GEO Group's old contract expired last fall amid a total

impo blackout. Experts now say that notice probably targets renewing the Tacoma deal,

not building fresh, though ice might buy the place outright to dodge local.

Rules, they snapped up 10 warehouses already for big holding spots,

and Tacoma could be on the list per reports. These moratoriums buy time to craft permanent blocks

and slow any land grabs, but they're untested against federal moves.

For now, they're holding the line in uncharted waters as the push pool plays out.

That wraps Vancouver News today, brought to you with AI.