Gee and Ursula raise alarm over ICE tactics after 9 arrested in Spokane, including former city council president

Nine people — including former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart — are facing criminal charges after an anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest in Spokane last month.

KIRO host Gee Scott called the arrests a distraction, suggesting they were part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein list.

“This red meat will be increasingly thrown out there. And there’s a reason why you’re gonna see more of an increase, especially right now, because we gotta try to get people to stop talking about the Epstein list,” he said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “He knows that MAGA is split right now. He has already called out to the influencers, the Joe Rogans, the Charlie Kirks, and all of them, told them to tone down the conversation centered around Epstein.”

KIRO host Ursula Reutin agreed the tactic could be used as a distraction but noted that people are capable of focusing on multiple issues at once.

“Yes, it feels like there’s a fire hose of things coming at us. And again, we have zero problem with getting rid of criminals. But that is not what is happening. And these tactics, we should all be concerned about them,” she said. “And yes, we should all be using our voices and whatever influence we have to try to push back against it.”

Former Spokane City Council President sparks anti-ICE protest

Stuckart had recently become the legal guardian of a 21-year-old Venezuelan man who was being detained.

“There were two young migrants, fully legal with work permits, and a guardian who used to run the Spokane city council — went in for what ICE said was a routine check-in, and they did exactly what they were told,” Ursula explained. “ICE cuffed them anyway and sent them to Tacoma at the Northwest Detention Center, so their guardian, Ben Stuckart, says he saw the trap, but skipping it would have made things worse, and he got arrested himself for trying to block the van.”

Stuckart was indicted by a federal grand jury, according to The Spokesman-Review. He is expected to be charged with conspiracy to impede or injure law enforcement. Stuckart spoke out against the detention of the two migrants.

“You can’t help but spend time with them and not understand just what great young men they are,” he told KXLY. “They’ve done everything right, and they’re escaping horrible situations, and then to have them come in for a checkup and be detained illegally is morally reprehensible.”

Stuckart then ignited a protest that grew to hundreds of people after posting on Facebook, The Spokesman-Review stated.

Another person arrested was Bajun Mavalwalla, whose father opened the door at 6 a.m. to FBI agents. He told the media outlet his son was never read his rights at the time of the arrest.

Mavalwalla was accused of assaulting officers, but his father shared with The Spokesman-Review that his son worked in cybersecurity, was deployed to Afghanistan, and “has no problem with the law.”

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown denounced the arrests.

“This politically motivated action is a perversion of our justice system,” Brown said in a statement, The Spokesman-Review reported. “The Trump Administration’s weaponization of ICE and the DOJ is trampling on the U.S. Constitution and creating widespread fear across our community.”

Former King County Sheriff shocked by recent events

Ursula referenced former King County Sheriff John Urquhart, who told “Gee and Ursula” what ICE is being instructed to do is “beyond the pale.”

“I’m shocked that we’ve, we’ve fallen this low in this country, that that is happening,” Urquhart said.

Gee compared the events happening now to the Civil Rights movement.

“Martin Luther King was arrested. I want to make sure we are clear on this. Dr. King was arrested over 25 times in his life. You know the same one that folks love to quote him on his birthday,” he said.

Gee Scott’s theory on the protest arrests

Gee believes the arrests are happening because protests work, and the White House is trying to stop them from continuing.

“These are real potential consequences, because it is the DOJ that is coming after — the federal government is being weaponized on the people that are here to try to make good trouble. This is a scary thing and so many people will be hurt by this. But the only way to get to the other side is you gotta go through it to get to it,” he shared.

Stuckart and the others are expected in court Tuesday around 3 p.m.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.