OPINION | What You Can Do About the ICE 'Shadow Surge' in Seattle

The Seattle area is currently experiencing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramp up that bears some similarities to the surge in Minneapolis at the beginning of 2026. Yet while Minneapolis' Operation Metro Surge was reported on breathlessly for months, it's questionable whether the average Seattleite is aware of the rising number of ICE abductions in their region.

The brazen tactics of Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis generated negative public scrutiny and eventually widespread condemnation. Then tactics shifted. It now appears that ICE's strategy is to move as quietly as possible while intensifying operations nationwide — especially in "sanctuary cities." Jill Garvey, the executive director of anti-authoritarianism nonprofit States at the Core, calls this new paradigm the "shadow surge."

Now is the time for neighbors in Seattle to be more vigilant.

According to Iceout.org, a nonprofit platform that allows witnesses to report ICE sightings and abductions, there were more than 500 reports of ICE activity in the Seattle metro area from Aug. 26 to Sept. 26, including 118 confirmed by a news source or other vetted community reporting network. However, these numbers only represent reports submitted to the platform by community members.

The week of Sept. 20–26 saw a 133% increase in reports of ICE activity in Washington compared with the previous week, with 49% of reports coming from King County. ICE has been abducting people at an increased rate since June, primarily in areas outside the city proper, but has recently increased their overall activity and moved within city limits — especially along freeways where a quick escape is possible. In addition to the increase in frequency of reports on Iceout.org, reports are coming in earlier in the morning and later in the day, indicating that ICE is also active during hours when people travel to and from work.

Community witnesses say a common tactic ICE has used recently is to stalk the people they are targeting, pull them over on the freeway, and abduct them quickly. Freeway traffic is fast-moving, which creates less possibility for crowds to form. Remember all those whistles people were handing out at the beginning of 2026? Turns out ICE doesn't like having whistles blown at them during an abduction or being outnumbered while they haul neighbors away.

This shadow surge occurring right now in Seattle is accompanied by an especially grim fact: According to TRAC, 57% of immigration judges who decide asylum cases during fiscal 2026 through June were appointed under Trump. Perhaps unsurprisingly, immigration judges nationwide denied 94% of asylum cases they decided in June this year.

So, what can you do to help?

1. Meet your neighbors. The more we know and care about one another, the easier it is to build networks and solidarity. Check in on those who may be at risk.

2. Encourage your vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors to create an emergency plan.

3. Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about the ICE surge. Build awareness and urgency about the need to be vigilant and engaged.

4. Bring a whistle with you when you leave the house.

5. Report sightings and abductions to Iceout.org. Get photos, record video, and gather as much detail as possible as soon as you can after witnessing activity. Timely reports are essential to keeping people from disappearing without a trace, and remember that identifying information of people taken should not be submitted to social media without consent.

6. Attend a training on constitutional observation and/or rapid response to ICE abductions.

The South Seattle Emerald is committed to holding space for a variety of viewpoints within our community, with the understanding that differing perspectives do not negate mutual respect amongst community members.

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