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Residents ask Skagit County to push back on ICE detentions and protect court attendees
Summary
Public commenters described incidents they said involved DHS/ICE apprehensions near courthouses and urged commissioners to ensure court access, pursue Zoom options for hearings and consider bans on ICE detention use of local facilities.
Two public commenters asked Skagit County officials to step up protections for court attendees and to limit use of local facilities by ICE.
Patty Laughlin said local constitutional observer teams witnessed what she described as the 'abduction' of community members leaving court by DHS and ICE, asserting people were taken without judicial warrants and transferred to private detention facilities in Tacoma. She urged county elected officials and agencies to uphold court access and protect community members.
Rebecca Peck also urged county action, praising the board's recent moratorium on data centers and asking the commissioners to coordinate with the sheriff and judges to prevent what she described as ICE 'kidnapping' in public parking areas and to seek bans on ICE usage at county facilities, city facilities, ports and the airport.
Both speakers asked for administrative and policy follow‑up. The commissioners did not take immediate action during the meeting; comments were recorded for the public record.
