Taking aim at ICE: State bill would ban former agents from being hired as police officers

A legislative move is designed to keep immigration officers out of Washington, even after they’ve left ICE.

The measure would ban any law enforcement agencies in Washington from hiring someone who was hired as a sworn officer of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on or after January 20th of 2025. That’s when President Donald Trump’s second term began.

Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, introduced House Bill 2641 yesterday. It’s co-sponsored by Rep. Shaun Scott, D-Seattle.

“In this Washington, we have worked incredibly hard to build trust between law enforcement and community,” Simmons said in a press release. “In most Washington agencies, the men and women who step up to serve have developed a culture of holding each other accountable to the highest professional standards. The last thing we need is infiltration of ICE agents trained during the Trump Administration to send us backwards.”

If passed, HB 2641 would take effect on Oct. 1. It has not been scheduled for a hearing.

How much support is this bill getting?

It’s not clear how much support this effort has, since it is so new. It only has two sponsors, whereas another bill that takes aim at ICE, Senate Bill 5855, has 27 sponsors. That measure would ban local, state, and federal police officers from wearing most face masks or coverings.

In this session, several bills are being debated that would affect law enforcement operations. Senate Bill 5974 would create uniform hiring standards for law enforcement agencies and give the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission authority to investigate and possibly remove police chiefs and sheriffs. Senate Bill 6002 would restrict how law enforcement and other government agencies can use automated license-plate readers, including Flock cameras, and limit how long data is retained.

This all comes amidst national attention to jurisdictions like Minnesota that have seen a surge of federal law enforcement officers, including ICE, conducting highly visible operations. Protests have erupted nationwide, in Minnesota, but also in Seattle and Portland, where two people were shot during an attempted ICE arrest.

“Law enforcement recruitment is paramount, we need more officers,” Simmons said. “However, we expect those officers to earn the trust and respect of the communities they live in, not act as an occupying force. This bill is designed to prevent those sorts of dangerous tactics from becoming part of the culture of policing in Washington state.”

The current legislative session ends on March 12.

We have reached out to representatives Simmons and Scott, as well as a state police group and a regional spokesperson for ICE.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.