A federal appeals court has overturned a King County, Washington executive order that blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using Seattle's King County International Airport (Boeing Field) for deportation flights. This decision is a significant victory for the incoming Trump administration and its plans to reinstate stricter immigration enforcement policies.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2019 order, enacted during the previous Trump presidency, unlawfully discriminated against ICE by specifically targeting federal deportation operations. The county's justification for the order stemmed from its opposition to Trump's immigration policies at the time.
Following the 2019 order, ICE was forced to reroute deportation flights to Yakima, Washington, a considerably longer distance from its Northwest detention center. This resulted in higher operational costs and increased security risks, according to the court's decision.
The legal dispute originated in 2020 when the U.S. government sued King County, arguing the order breached a World War II-era agreement guaranteeing federal access to the airport. Judge Daniel A. Bress, in his ruling, clarified that King County was not being compelled to enforce federal immigration laws, but rather to cease its discriminatory practice against private entities conducting business with the federal government in support of immigration efforts.
To increase transparency, the airport now provides a designated area with a video feed for public observation of deportation flights and maintains an online log of these flights on its website.
President-elect Trump's appointment of Tom Homan as his "border czar" underscores his commitment to stricter immigration enforcement. Homan has taken a hardline stance, stating that those unwilling to cooperate with immigration authorities should leave the country.
The impending changes in immigration policy have sparked strong opposition from several Democratic governors, including those of Illinois, Arizona, and Massachusetts. These governors have pledged to resist the Trump administration's deportation initiatives, raising concerns about potential conflicts between state and federal authorities.
