(DailyVantage.com) – The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing the federal government to resume deportation flights from Seattle’s King County International Airport, commonly known as Boeing Field. This decision overturns a 2019 executive order issued by King County that barred ICE from using the airport, with the court finding that the policy discriminated against federal immigration operations.
The ruling is a major victory for the incoming Trump administration, which has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of its agenda. President-elect Donald Trump and his designated “border czar,” Tom Homan, have pledged to restart mass deportations on Trump’s first day in office. The 9th Circuit’s decision reinforces their ability to enforce federal immigration laws despite resistance from sanctuary jurisdictions.
In its decision, the court noted that King County’s 2019 ban violated contractual obligations and unfairly singled out federal deportation efforts. The policy had forced ICE to move its operations to Yakima, Washington, resulting in increased costs and heightened security risks. With the ruling, ICE will resume flights from Boeing Field, which officials say will streamline deportation logistics and reduce operational inefficiencies.
The court also mandated new transparency measures at Boeing Field, including public access to video feeds and detailed logs of deportation flights. These measures aim to address local concerns about oversight and accountability in federal immigration activities.
The decision has sparked backlash from leaders in sanctuary jurisdictions across the country. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker reiterated their opposition to federal immigration enforcement, pledging to uphold sanctuary policies in their states. Local officials in Washington also voiced their disapproval, with some vowing to explore further legal options to limit federal use of public facilities for deportations.
This ruling sets a powerful precedent for the Trump administration as it prepares to implement its immigration crackdown. Trump’s team has warned sanctuary jurisdictions that non-compliance with federal mandates will result in severe consequences, including cuts to federal funding.
The decision highlights the ongoing tension between federal authority and local autonomy in immigration policy. As ICE prepares to ramp up deportations, sanctuary jurisdictions are likely to become battlegrounds in the broader debate over the future of U.S. immigration enforcement.
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