King County Hires Monitor for Deportation Flights Amid ICE Controversy

King County in Washington state has hired a full-time employee to monitor federal deportation flights at Boeing Field. The flight monitoring and outreach coordinator started recently after a month of training, according to The Seattle Times.

The county's move is seen as a response to pressure from open-border activist groups, including La Resistencia, which opposes all detention and deportation. The group has been watching flights on a video feed inside the airport and claims to have seen safety violations, including fueling while passengers are aboard or boarding.

Karen Mora-Cheung, organizing director of La Resistencia, said that her group's pressure campaign was responsible for the hire. She also stated that her group will continue to watch flights regardless of the county's efforts.

The county's decision is seen as a performative move by some, given that the courts have already ruled against King County's attempts to ban ICE from Boeing Field. In 2023, a federal judge overturned an executive order barring ICE from the airport, and a Ninth Circuit panel upheld the reversal in 2024.