Whatcom County sets one-year ban on new civil detention centers
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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Civil detention centers like those being used by the federal government to imprison people suspected of immigration violations won’t be built in Whatcom County for at least one year, after a County Council hearing Tuesday night that featured more than an hour of impassioned public comment.
On a 5-2 vote, County Council members approved a one-year ban on accepting or processing applications and permits for new or expanded holding facilities, such as those used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people, sometimes without formal charges.
Council members Ben Elenbaas and Mark Stremler voted against the ban.
Elenbaas called the measure redundant, because county codes already prohibit such facilities. Stremler stressed the rule of law.
“There are pathways to living in this great country legally, and I greatly respect our country for having those pathways. And I don’t want to compromise those,” Stremler said.
More than 20 Whatcom County residents spoke at a hearing on the ban, most of them in support of the measure. They called the actions of ICE illegal and unjust, referencing the Holocaust and American atrocities such as the imprisonment of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent during World War II.
Alan Lifson told the story of a Central American refugee who was targeted for assassination in his home country and who applied for asylum under U.S. law. Masked and armed ICE agents arrested him and his family, leaving them at a “squalid” detention center without legal representation, he said.
“Yes, we need good immigration policy, but not illegal actions or excessive force from ICE that demonize the most vulnerable among us. I’d like to think that we in Whatcom County are better than that,” Lifson said.
During the public hearing, County Executive Satpal SIdhu mentioned the Arch of Healing and Reconciliation across from the County Courthouse, which stands as a memorial to violence against immigrants from India, China and Japan.
“How did it happen? Why didn’t the people stop it?” Sidhu said. Sidhu, who is from India, immigrated to the U.S. from Canada and is among only a handful of Sikh Americans to hold elected office.
Councilmember Jessica Rienstra drafted the measure to focus on zoning, land-use and other questions surrounding such a large holding facility for people awaiting immigration hearings. ICE is already Iooking for more places to hold large numbers of people as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
“We are all in this together, and respecting the sacred nature of each other’s lives is incredibly important,” Rienstra said.
The Port of Bellingham recently approved a similar ban on detention centers and the city of Bellingham is considering such action, although no formal vote has been set.
The U.S. operates more than 190 civil detention facilities, the world’s largest such prison network, according to the ICE website. Social justice organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and others have described inhumane conditions in many of the prisons.
Opposition to the immigration crackdown is being felt around Whatcom County.
After several people were arrested in downtown Bellingham this year, city officials took steps to ban ICE from using city-owned parking lots to stage those operations. Whatcom County Superior Court is expanding remote access to court proceedings because of increased federal immigration enforcement near the courthouse, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
Bellingham has seen several protests focused on ICE activity in recent months, including rallies sponsored by the Bellingham Troublemakers.
“Many local industries such as farming, hospitality and construction rely on immigrant labor and have suffered from increased ICE activity in the last year. More ICE facilities could lead to business closures, damage to the local economy, and a disrupted food supply system,” the Troublemakers said in a statement emailed to The Herald.
The overall immigration arrest rate in Washington is 11.4 per 100,000 residents, according to data from the Department of Homeleand Security and the University of Washington Center for Human Rights.
Whatcom County saw a steady increase in arrests through 2025, with about 100 total arrests and an arrest rate of 58 per 1000,000 residents — the third-highest in Washington.
Nationally, the immigration arrest rate is 32.7 per 100,000 residents, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.
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