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| | |  | Agents working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prepare to board detainees onto a charter flight in Yakima, which also has a flight monitoring system. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images). |
| King County Hires Monitor for ICE Flights at Boeing Field | As a summer surge in immigration detentions and arrests continues throughout Seattle, King County has hired a flight monitoring and outreach coordinator for Boeing Field. This person’s job duties include ensuring immigration transfer and deportation flights follow safety regulations as well as counting the number of people coming on and off the flights while shackled or handcuffed. The employee’s job isn’t just to monitor ICE flights — it’s also to focus on any flight with more than 18 passengers or involving buses taking passengers to and from planes. [Seattle Times] | - Why does this role exist? The county told reporter Nina Shapiro that the role is to “ensure compliance … across the airport” with a long list of regulations enacted in November. However, the new position is part of a long history of disputes between the county and the federal government over immigration. In 2019, former Executive Dow Constantine banned ICE from using the airport. A court ruling overturned the order in 2023, which was then held up in an appeals court ruling, saying the county was discriminating against the federal government. In response, the county pledged to document how ICE is using the airport. There is now a website with a video feed and log of immigration enforcement flights and, as of this month, a count of passengers.
- What does this role do? The new flight monitor will observe and document notes from camera feeds inside airport offices as well as from the airfield. According to the Times, if they see violations, “the county plans to work with whatever agency or company is involved to fix the problem rather than take punitive action.”
- What are organizers saying? This kind of monitoring has already been taking place through immigrant advocates and organizers watching the video feeds at the airport. Activists and organizations like La Resistencia and Tsuru for Solidarity have long put pressure on the county to make this kind of monitoring official. The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, which operates a statewide deportation hotline, said the number of Seattle detentions reported to it more than doubled this year. The majority of arrests they’ve confirmed involve people with no criminal record. These arrests are increasingly happening after traffic stops, as documented by Angelina Godoy’s team at the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights. We’ve spoken to Godoy about this on the podcast; listen below. [South Seattle Emerald]
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| What Seattle’s Talking About |
| 🗑️ Investigation into unsafe drug cleanup: A volunteer group called We Heart Seattle is now under investigation by the state following a complaint that alleges the group's volunteers are improperly handling hypodermic needles and fentanyl-related paraphernalia at its homeless encampment cleanups. The organization is run by Andrea Suarez, its CEO and sole employee; Suarez says its cleanups protect the public from hazardous waste. [KOMO] |
| 💰 How much do you pay for back-to-school? According to a new survey, Washington families are set to spend more than the national average on back-to-school shopping this year. Nationally, K-12 back-to-school spending is projected to hit a record $43 billion, up 10% from last year. Beyond that, families are expected to spend another $635/month in ongoing costs like meals, snacks, tutoring, and more. [Axios] | |  | Prices are higher across the U.S., and classroom needs have changed, leading to higher back-to-school costs for families in the West. (Ashutosh Gupta / Unsplash) |
| 🏢 Rivera pitches gun violence deterrent plan: District 4 Councilmember Maritza Rivera has introduced a resolution calling for the city to work with the National Network for Safe Communities, which she says has seen success in reducing gun violence in other cities. It combines targeted law enforcement with outreach and social services. Critics say the program relies too heavily on jail, leading to heightened surveillance and community crackdowns. [Capitol Hill Seattle Blog] |
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