ICE pulls travelers off plane, arrests several at Sea-Tac gate
Aug 19, 2026SeaTac, WA
In a separate incident on Aug. 19, ICE agents pulled at least one person off a plane at Sea-Tac International Airport and arrested them at the gate, according to immigration attorney Jane O'Sullivan, who spoke with the detained person's travel companion. The detained person had overstayed a visa but had an active immigration application pending. O'Sullivan said 'a number of people' were taken off planes that day and later brought to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, though she could not specify how many were held. The arrests are part of a broader Department of Homeland Security enforcement effort targeting non-citizens with pending immigration cases at airports nationwide.
