This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be establishing a new base of operations in Tukwila, according to leasing documents.
According to WIRED, the Riverfront Technical Park office building in Tukwila, an 85,000 square foot space, could become a new address for ICE offices.
Riverfront Technical Park is owned by Sabey Corporation, which also owns the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office in Tukwila, located on Tukwila International Boulevard.
While the location has yet to be finalized as a new ICE center — a “For Lease” sign remains posted on the property — the building is near the King County International Airport, where ICE operates its deportation flights from Washington.
After the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, which increased immigration enforcement funding to $75 billion, ICE’s workforce more than doubled, rising from 10,000 agents to 22,000. According to DHS, the agency received more than 220,000 applications to become an ICE agent.
MyNorthwest has reached out to ICE for comment regarding its potential move to Tukwila.
Further south, a Tacoma City Council meeting was disrupted by an anti-ICE protest earlier this week, prompting a brief respite.
The rally was organized by the Pierce County Immigration Alliance, a group calling for the removal of ICE from the City of Tacoma. On E. J Street, there is a detention center, aptly named the Northwest Detention Center, operated by the GEO Group on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
As many as 150 people rallied outside the Tacoma Municipal Building during Tuesday’s city council meeting, calling for the council to terminate the Northwest ICE Processing Center and divest from ICE. Most of the participants stayed outside on the sidewalks, but still disrupted the council meeting.
A few dozen protesters had the chance to speak during the public comment period, but the meeting was stalled after rounds of cheers and applause followed each comment.
“If people cannot conduct the meeting respectfully and continue to be disruptive, we will close community forum and adjourn,” Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen said.
According to The Tacoma News Tribune, it is rare for the Tacoma City Council to have a recess during its meetings.
“We met with the mayor and some city council members on Tuesday and they made it clear: they have no intention of taking the bold action needed at this time,” Pierce County Immigration Alliance stated on social media. “But we won’t stop until the city takes bold action and tells ICE that they are not welcome here!”
This was the third anti-ICE protest conducted by the Pierce County Immigration Alliance. One of the organization’s earlier protests, held two weeks ago, blocked traffic on Market Street.
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