Seattle council holds public hearing on temporary moratorium for detention-center permits as activists press for a permanent ban

The Seattle City Council opened a public hearing April 28 on Ordinance 127401, a temporary moratorium on permit applications to establish, expand or convert structures into detention centers.

Councilmember Alexis Rink, sponsor of the ordinance, said the emergency moratorium was passed quickly after a federal solicitation posted on sam.gov and that it served as a declaration of public emergency and a work plan toward permanent regulations. Rink cited a recent American Civil Liberties Union report that she said identified a 17th death inside ICE detention facilities and called expanding detention capacity “helping this federal regime ramp up their inhumane enforcement actions.”

Dozens of members of the public and remote callers used the hearing to press the council for stronger action than the one-year moratorium. “We have to put on maximum pressure to push measures like this through to start a real fight against ICE,” said a resident who identified herself as Gwendolyn, who urged the council to pass a permanent ban and escalate public pressure if the council does not act.

Jason Thiel, a renter in District 5, said the moratorium is the bare minimum and asked publicly whether other councilmembers would commit to supporting a permanent ban. “Will you support a permanent ban on detention centers?” he asked the dais. Public commenters also called for municipal IDs for undocumented residents, legal challenges, marches and regional coordination.

Speakers who had direct experience or oversight concerns described alleged harms in detention facilities. Gabriel Diaz, who said he served as a panelist for a use-of-force review, urged the council to seek stronger accountability measures for officers and contractors who run detention facilities, citing allegations of contaminated food, inadequate medical care and civil-rights complaints tied to specific facilities.

Councilmember Rink said the public hearing is one step in a process that includes consideration of permanent regulations in 2027 and additional opportunities for public input and regional coordination. No vote on a permanent ban occurred at the hearing; the ordinance under consideration is a temporary moratorium on new permit approvals and expansions.

The hearing combined in-person and remote testimony. Remote callers urged the city to deny ICE and DHS access to city property and to adopt affirmative policies to protect Fourth Amendment rights; in-person commenters urged local legal and political steps to prevent new detention centers from opening in King County.

Next steps: the council will incorporate the hearing record into its deliberations on permanent rules and regulatory language; Rink said staff and the council will work on a public process toward rules to be considered in future sessions.