There are limited tools to ensure constitutional rights are respected by ICE and the private detention corporations they contract with. But Congress holds the most powerful card: the power of the purse.
by Sarah van Gelder
Protests swept the Seattle area this weekend after federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti during the massive surge of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, just weeks after the killing of Renee Good, a mother of three.
While Washington state hasn’t seen the massive ICE incursions experienced by Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, the state has not been spared violence, family separations, and increased detentions.
On November 14, Vancouver, WA resident Wilmer Toledo-Martinez was lured out of his home by an ICE agent posing as a construction worker and then attacked by an ICE dog as his children watched. According to his attorney and a statement from Sen. Patty Murray’s office, ICE delayed medical care for hours. Toledo-Martinez is married to a US citizen. He was not resisting arrest.
Fast forward to January 20, when at least six Seattle public schools sheltered-in-place over unverified reports of nearby ICE activity in South Seattle. Increased enforcement on roads and in neighborhoods has immigrants throughout the state avoiding public life, according to local rights organizations.
While Washington state’s laws limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, that hasn’t stopped ICE from expanding surveillance and enforcement activities, with arrests up 143 percent through October of 2025 compared to the previous year. Those detained in the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma (NWIPC) have reported neglect and abuse—including inadequate medical care, solitary confinement, and lack of access to counsel. Sixty percent of those at the NWIPC have no criminal record.
Washingtonians are bracing for more disruption and violence because there is reason to believe more will come our way. President Trump has promised to target blue states, like Washington, with thousands of violent ICE agents. What many don't realize is that Congress, not the Trump administration, has the power to decide whether or not to fund ICE—and Washington state’s Senators could make the difference.
There are limited tools to ensure constitutional rights are respected by ICE and the private detention corporations they contract with. But Congress holds the most powerful card: the power of the purse.
Funding for ICE lapses at the end of January and proposed federal funding legislation includes billions in increased funding to hire and deploy thousands of additional federal agents. The budget also funds a dramatic expansion of ICE detention capacity, which would grow to be 62 percent larger than the entire federal prison system, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
The House approved a funding package that included the Department of Homeland Security budget with a simple majority vote. Before ICE killed Pretti, Democrats were set to approve the funding bill. But, following the second killing by federal agents in Minneapolis, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Democrats would not approve the funding. Washington Senator Patty Murray, who is a key negotiator on appropriations, and Senator Maria Cantwell, also announced they would vote no “this week.” Just 41 senators can stop the bill using the filibuster. There are 45 Democrats in the Senate, so Democrats alone can stop ICE expansion. Now is the time to hold them to their word.
ICE is unpopular. Today, more Americans believe ICE is making us less safe (47 percent) than think ICE makes us more safe (34 percent), according to a January 2026 Economist/YouGov poll. And more Americans favor (46 percent) than oppose (43 percent) abolishing ICE.
If Congress funds the billions requested by the Trump administration, ICE will have all it needs to expand its force of masked federal agents and its detention capacity. The experience of the past year shows that most oversight tools — inspector general investigations, state health inspections, local police reports—can at best highlight problems, but don’t change ICE practices.
Given the pattern of abuse we have already seen—from Tacoma to Minneapolis—now is the moment for our congressional delegation to stand strong—to protect our communities, uphold due process, and ensure that the government does not trample on human dignity.
Sarah van Gelder is a Washington resident, an independent journalist, and the founding editor of YES! Magazine.