County in Washington State Cannot Block ICE Deportation Flights, Appeals Court Rules

A federal court has struck down King County’s ban on ICE deportation flights, citing federal supremacy and breach of contractual obligations.
County in Washington State Cannot Block ICE Deportation Flights, Appeals Court Rules
Airplanes parked at King County International Airport-Boeing Field in Seattle on June 1, 2022. Lindsey Wasson/File Photo/Reuters
Tom Ozimek
Updated:
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A federal appeals court has ruled that an order in King County, Washington, barring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using a Seattle-area airport to deport illegal immigrants from the country is unlawful, affirming a lower court’s summary judgment and clearing the way for the removals to continue.

Judge Daniel A. Bress of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote in the Nov. 29 opinion that a 2019 executive order issued by King County Executive Dow Constantine that prohibited the ICE deportation flights was unlawful. The ruling identified two primary legal violations: discrimination against federal operations under the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution and breach of a World War II-era instrument of transfer agreement governing the airport’s use.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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