In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the King County Council approved a first-in-the-nation motion calling on Congress to impose strict "guardrails" on any funding appropriated for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),. The motion, sponsored by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, serves as a direct response to three civilian deaths at the hands of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and what local officials describe as a "culture of violence and lawlessness".

A Call for Accountability

The council’s action comes as a DHS funding bill is scheduled for a vote in Congress this week. The motion demands an immediate halt to "dangerous surges" of ICE agents and an end to the deployment of U.S. Border Patrol units into American cities, where they have been accused of terrorizing communities and violating constitutional rights.

Councilmember Mosqueda highlighted the climate of fear these federal tactics have created. “People are scared to go to work, school, medical appointments... for fear they may be abducted by ICE due to the color of their skin or for having an accent,” Mosqueda stated, urging Congress to stop funding what she characterized as a "campaign of violence and terror".

Proposed Restrictions on DHS

The approved motion outlines specific requirements that the council believes Congress must attach to any future DHS funding,. These include:

• Ending "lawless enforcement": Requiring agents to obtain warrants, prohibiting the use of masked agents, and banning enforcement actions at sensitive locations.

• Detention Reform: Ending the use of private, for-profit detention centers and restoring access to bond hearings.

• Restructuring and Oversight: Ensuring independent investigations into agent-perpetrated violence and rebuilding immigration enforcement agencies "from the ground-up" to ensure public safety and national security,.

Local Leaders Speak Out

The motion received strong support from various regional leaders who criticized the current administration's tactics. King County Executive Girmay Zahilay argued that Congress should not continue writing "blank checks" to the DHS while agents engage in "kidnapping and killing people in our streets".

Councilmember Jorge L. Barón specifically pointed to recent "violence and unrest" in Minnesota as a result of "mass deportation tactics," emphasizing that the federal government is inflicting unjustified violence on residents. Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) praised the council, calling the resolution a "critical step" to prevent the militarization of local communities.

Next Steps

A copy of the motion will be delivered to Washington’s congressional delegation representing King County. Councilmembers, including co-sponsors Rhonda Lewis and Rod Dembowski, emphasized that the county will continue to use its power to protect residents from "chaotic violence" and ensure that due process remains "the law of the land"