Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside of King County International Airport (KCIA) – Boeing Field on Jan. 16 to protest ICE flights operating from the airfield, calling on officials to halt cooperation with deportation operations and allow public monitoring of flights.

The protest was organized by the group La Resistencia, a Washington-based advocacy group formed in 2014, that opposes immigration detention and deportation. Participants of the protest held signs, chanted, played music and observed aircraft activity from nearby the airport terminal, which the organization said has been used for thousands of deportations and transfer flights over the years.

A La Resistencia handout distributed at the demonstration stated, “We demand the KCIA uphold the dignity of those suffering within ICE Air and begin a considerate effort to stop ICE Air and its contractors from impeding our flight observations.”

La Resistencia has long argued that the conditions in which detained people are transported are inhumane.

On its website, the organization stated, “Detained individuals are not listed as passengers, they’re listed as cargo and are shackled around their waist, feet, and hands. This terror must end.”

North Seattle Progressives stated on their website, “Thousands of Washingtonians, pillars of communities and families all over our state, are being abducted by ICE, ripped away from their children and families, and flown away – cruelly cuffed hands and feet the entire flight – to countries they may not have been to for decades or ever, often sent towards almost certain violence or death.”

Josephina Mora-Cheung, Director of Organizing for La Resistencia, said the group has been tracking ICE activity at the airport for years. “La Resistencia has been observing and documenting ICE flights, which include deportation and transfer flights out of King County Airport since 2023. We’ve been working during that time to really document and make public all the different information and exact data of the flight.”

Mora-Cheung added that the coordination with airport officials has been especially challenging.

“Working with King County Airport specifically, it has been really difficult to do that in a way that is conducive to doing their job for them,” she said.

Beginning in April 2019, KCIA prohibited the transportation or deportation of immigration detainees in the custody of the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice challenged this policy in court, arguing that the airport was “meddling with federal government activities and discriminating against the federal government and those with whom it dealt.”

However, in March 2023, the court ruled in favor of the Department of Justice. The court found that the airport’s executive order violated the contract between the parties, concluding that it infringed upon contractual rights reserved to the U.S. and those reserved to the public. As a result, the court held the executive order invalid and permanently enjoined its enforcement.

In an effort to clarify how expressive activities would be regulated moving forward, airport officials created a new policy in Aug. 2025, the KCIA Free Speech Activities Policy. This policy outlines the rights of those wanting to practice their first amendment rights at the airport, stating they are allowed to demonstrate between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in designated areas.

The policy was tested during the demonstration, where the King County Sheriff’s Office Dialogue Team was present, identified by their blue shirts and labelled vests. They assisted with monitoring the gathering and with safety. Deputy Matthew Martin praised demonstrators conduct, as well as organizers, emphasizing that the protest remained lawful throughout the day.

“Today, 100% lawful. This has been great. This is the perfect example of it,” Martin said. “They’re martialling all their own people. They’re doing safety on the crossings. They’re ready to regulate traffic if they need to.”

“This is like the model of how a protest should be in my opinion,” he said.

Martin also underscored the sheriff offices role in such events, “Our job is to protect everyone’s constitutional right to gather and petition the government, to speak freely and to do it safely and legally,” he said.

Overall, the protest reflected a broader and ongoing conflict over immigration and enforcement in the United States.

While federal court rulings have cleared the way for ICE flights to continue operating from Boeing Field, advocates say their concerns about transparency and the treatment of detainees remain unresolved.

For La Resistencia, the demonstration was part of a long-term effort to monitor and challenge deportation practices. For local officials and law enforcement, it highlighted the balance between upholding court rulings, maintaining public safety and protecting the right to peacefully protest.

As ICE flights continue to depart from the airport, the debate over their presence is expected to persist.