KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘Eye-opening’: Ursula shocked at nearly half of ICE arrests in Washington have no criminal history

Feb 22, 2026, 6:50 AM

After federal data revealed that nearly 2,000 people were taken into ICE custody in Washington between the start of President Trump’s second term and October 2025, The Seattle Times found that 47% of those who were taken into custody had no criminal convictions or pending charges.

KIRO hosts Ursula Reutin and Spike O’Neill were appalled at the findings due to the Trump administration’s promise to target the most violent offenders, but now individuals without a criminal history are being arrested.

“It’s just like promises kept, promises made, promises broken, from the Trump administration,” Spike said. “Nobody campaigned on clearing out the Home Depot workforce or the kitchen staff here, there, and everywhere. That’s not what people campaigned on. They campaigned on the worst of the worst. We all, I think, support the removal of the worst of the worst. But you mentioned 47% in Washington have no criminal record.”

Ursula noted that a small percentage of the 2,000 ICE arrests made in Washington had a criminal with a violent crime, while a vast majority had nothing worse than a traffic violation.

“When we break it down, we’re talking about a very, very tiny percentage, 13%, being violent crimes,” Ursula said. “If you have a violent crime, you should be deported, period. But we’re talking about, again, some kind of traffic infraction. It’s eye-opening when you see what was promised, and what is actually happening.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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

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